Smoke and Mirrors
by booyah111oak2
Summary: Ginny have been friends for a while, both want more, but they don't know it. Set somewhere in years 5-7. Rated M for mild nudity and sexual scenes in a few later chapters. Mostly fluff. If you are uncomfortable with lesbian themes this story is not for you. GinnyXHermione
1. Chapter 1

A/N I am in No way an expert in Harry Potter lore and i also do not know how to speak like someone from the UK, so any reviews are helpful. This story contains lesbian themes so if you are not into that please leave now. Enjoy

There she is again, i think to myself as the young, vibrant redheaded 5th year, walks down the hall. I guess I was staring too long because I didn't notice the wall of 7th years that came before her, and soon enough I was on my rear with all of my books scattered. I silently curse under my breath when someone kneels beside me. Ginny.

"Ouch, that looked like a nasty fall, can I help pick up your stuff?" I nod and we begin to gather my belongings. We both reach for the last book and my hand touches hers, I instantly felt a jolt go down my spine. "So what happened to have the great Hermione Granger fall on her buttocks?"

"Um..." I stutter as Ginny is looking at me with a cheerful curious look on her face, I think fast, "Oh, I don't even know, probably some good looking guy walked past or something"

"Oh, Okay" She says, and I swear I saw a falter in her joyful personality, but no, it can't be. There is no way that Ginny Weasley, a girl brought up in a household of boys could be someone like me. A lesbian.

~Ginny POV~

I walk down the hall towards my next class, potions with Snape. Ugh. Honestly he hates teaching that, just give him the blasted defense against the dark arts. It might make his classes less like hell.

I look over on my left for a split second and catch Hermione looking at me, not paying attention to where she is going. The next thing I know I am looking down on Hermione, books scattered, and it looks like she is saying something under her breath. I kneel down next to her, "Ouch, that looked like a nasty fall, mine if I help pick up your stuff?" She nods and I smile on the inside. We don't get to see much of each other nowadays. And any time I can be around her is good enough for me. When we reach for the last book at the same time, her hand touches mine and an instant feeling of joy overcomes me. Her hand was so soft, oh I feel I will be longing for her touch again. "So what happened to have the great Hermione Granger fall on her buttocks?"

"Um..." She pauses, obviously she forgot why she did fall. I look at her with great curiosity. "Oh, I don't even know, probably some good looking guy walked past or something"

My heart drops, and I say the only thing I can say, "Oh okay" Well its official. Hermione Granger isn't like me and probably never will be. She likes boys, I like girls. She is straight, I am a Lesbian.

A/N: This is a sample of the story I'm not sure if it should be counted as chapter one or not. Reviews are very helpful and much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N hey thanks so much for the positive feedback guys, I will try my best to update consistently, thanks for reading! And as always Reviews are much appreciated.

~Hermiones POV~

I hate tests. Absolutely hate them. They force me to study all day and night and for what! A grade? I wish I was like the other people at the school. I wish I could just sit back and relax with a companion, specifically-

"Hey Hermione?" I hear a familiar voice originating from behind the dorm doors.

"Come in!" I say as I close all my books and journals. The doors swings open and I see long red hair enter my dorm. Ginny. She has a coat and a scarf on. Curious. "What do you need?" I ask calmly trying to keep my voice steady, I get nervous around her recently.

"Oh, well I was going to head down the Hogsmeade for a couple of things and I was wondering if you wanted to join me…" Then she sees all of the books and journals strewn around the floor. "Oh I guess you are busy studying huh?"

I begin to blush, "Wha- Oh no I needed to take a break anyway I have had just about enough of this."

Ginny smiles a huge grin, "Okay, um I still need to grab my gloves… See you in downstairs in ten minutes?"

"Sure, I will be right down" She grins again and races off. I notice my heart is beating a thousand beats a minute and I take some deep breaths… what has gotten into me? Eleven minutes late I am putting on my scarf and beanie. I look at the clock, Blast! I'm late! I rush down the steps and I see Ginny sitting by the fireplace looking down.

"Hey!" She immediately looks up and smiles, " sorry I took so long, I guess getting ready takes a bit longer for me." I say sheepishly.

"Its fine, I'm in no rush" She says with a cheerful smile. "Wanna head down to the Hall to get some Cocoa or something?"

"Sure, it is a bit chilly outside"

We begin to head down the stairs and I notice Ginny is wearing make-up. I mean it's not unusual but it's more detailed today, she must be trying to impress someone, and whoever it is better be, because she looks stunning. We reach the great hall and I see Ron and Harry playing a game of chess. It's so cruel, Ron knows Harry can never beat him but Ron let's him believe he can beat him and when they are close Ron sweeps the game right from under him. Unreal. After we grab our warm drinks we begin to make our way towards Hogsmeade.

"So how are your classes this year?" I ask her, she groans a bit.

"I hate them! I don't know how you can study hours on end without going insane! I can't stand to look at homework for a measly 30 minutes!" I raise an eyebrow and she looks at me. "What!?"

"Oh nothing, I just find it strange, you have all the time in the world but you won't just sit down for an hour to help benefit your education!" She laughs a little bit. God shes gorgeous. "So any cute boys you have your eye on?"

Her face turns from joyful to nervousness. "Mm no. I don't know, I just don't see any guys around that interest me. What about you? I bet you have someone you are keeping a look out for huh?"

"Well I do have someone, but I'm not sure they would be interested, they seem to be into a different type" Well I didn't lie. It just wasn't the whole truth. She nods, she looks like she understands but I didnt want to push it.

Suddenly a snowball hits Ginny square in her beautiful face. I instantly direct my eyes to where the snowball came from and I see three figures.

"Well, Well , Well..." The lead figure approaches with another snowball at the ready, " If it isn't the Weasley and the mudblood."

Malfoy.

I look over at Ginny and see a little trickle of blood coming from her mouth, although she doesn't show it, I know it hurt. Draco walks a bit closer with another snowball, and from what it looks like, it is enchanted so it is hardened snow with bits of rocks in it. I'm going to kill him.

"Well it seems Potter and Weasley aren't here to protect you huh?" I pull out my wand and I see Draco falter a bit, before I can cast a spell Ginny steps forward and says,

"Who says we need protection? You're the one always cowering behind daddy and your lackeys" I see rage burning in Draco's eyes.

"You'll pay for that you dirt poor bitch!" He throws another snowball straight at Ginny, but before I know it I am leaping in front of the projectile, and it hits me square in the chest. Ouch, they hurt a lot more than they look. Hopefully I'm not too seriously injured. When I recover I see Ginny about to perform a spell but Draco and his goons flee before she can finish it. Ginny turns back to me and brushes off the clumps of ice and rock.

"Are you alright? That one was going pretty fast" She asks me with a worried expression on her face.

"I'm fine, it's you that needs tending to, you're bleeding!" She puts a finger to her face and touches the blood. She curses.

"It's fine, I will get him next time" I nod and we continue our way to Hogsmeade.

"What spell were you going to cast anyway?" I ask her as we make our way through thick snow.

She grins a bit, "Just a plain out stupify spell"

"Oh, I thought it was gonna be something worse, you seemed pretty mad" She thinks for a bit.

"Well there was really no need for future violence, well not a lot at least. I just wanted to scare em." I smile and she smiles too.

"We make a pretty good team don't we?" I can't help saying. She nods.

"Yea with us around who needs Harry and Ron" I doubt I heard correctly but it seemed that she said Ron name with a hint of jealousy and bitterness.

A/N I'm going to leave it off here, reviews are much appreciated and I think I'm going to switch of the POV every chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: so I didn't get any reviews last chapter so I am assuming I am doing okay, let me know what you want to happen and I will take them under consideration. Also I had some other ideas after I posted the original chapter 3 so I replaced it with this one. Enjoy!

Ginny's POV:

Last week's visit to Hogsmeade was both a good and bad thing. The good thing was I got to spend some time with Hermione, and the bad part was when I got a face full Malfoy's enchanted snowball and that hurt. A lot. Well that's all in the past it's almost Christmas and the whole school is in full swing. Hogwarts is always so good at celebrating the holidays. Knowing Hermione she is probably in the library studying for some homework that isn't due till the term begins again. When I head towards the library I see couples walking down the hall together and some others have mistletoe magically appear above them. They all seem so happy and it's hard not to feel lonely during the holidays when you are emotionally alone. As I enter the library I hear two voices. When I get closer I easily recognize them both. The first is my love, Hermione. And the second is my rival, Ron. I stop dead in my tracks and weigh my options. If I went in there, I would have to have an excuse for being there, which I would probably screw up. On the other hand if I left now I could my dignity intact and I could visit her elsewhere. The net thing I know I am heading out of the library, feeling that I have made the wrong choice.

After dinner I am heading back to the dorms and I see Ron and Harry walking together and Ron has a beaming look on his face and Harry is beside him smiling and looking down, shaking his head. I wonder what that was about…

I am sitting on my bed, in my pajamas brushing my hair when I hear a knock on my door, probably Dorothy forgetting her perfume. She is supposed to be on a date with Seamus right now.

"Come in!" I don't even bother to look up until I hear the voice,

"Hey Ginny?" I instantly bring up my head, at the sound of Hermione's voice.

"Oh, hey" I say stupidly while fumbling around trying to get up. "What's on your mind?"

She sits down on my bed and says, "Well Ron sort of asked me out…"

My stomach drops and I manage to get some words outs, "Oh? And what did you say?"

She fiddles with her hair, "Well I said yes of course! I had to give him a chance you know."

My heart shatters into a million pieces, "Oh well that's good" My voice begins to crack, I hope she doesn't notice.

I don't look back up to her, after a moment of silence she says. "Oh look at the time, I better be off to bed, catch up with you later?"

I try my hardest to say a few words, "Yea sure, later"

I can barely hold back the tears as she leaves. The second the door closes I ram my face into my pillow and start to bawl. Why can't I be like everyone else?

"Hey Ginny are you in there?" Its Dorothy.

"Yea I'm coming" I say wiping my tears from my face, I will probably still look like a wreck, when I open the door I see Dorothy crying. A lot. "Hey come in, what happened?"

She is sniffling and trying to calm herself down. "It was a joke, Seamus never really wanted to go out with me, it was a dare from his friends"

I hug her and try to say some comforting words, "Shh Shh its gonna be fine, Seamus was always a mean old bloke"

"I just thought someone finally liked me enough to get to know me better" she finally beins to calm down.

"Oh trust me you aren't alone in this, there are plenty of people who are looking for affection, I guess the trick is to distract yourself with other things so you aren't so lonely" I say, the words are truer than a lot of things I have said lately. She nods and begins to get up.

"I'm just tired, I'm going to bed, thanks for the talk."

"Yea, anytime" As the mood calms, I find myself thinking more and more about what I said. Maybe I should start distancing myself from Hermione. All it does is bring me sadness when I know she likes other people. I know Ron is my brother but I can't believe that he would ask her out! I mean sure it was going to happen eventually but I figured not till they were both out of Hogwarts.

"Hey Ginny?" I turn to Dorothy's bed.

"Yea?" She doesn't make eye contact.

"How come Hermione was crying on her way out?" What?

"What do you mean?"

"Well I saw her leaving the room and she was wiping tears from her eyes. Did you say something?"

"Um, no. She just came to tell me that someone asked her out." She sighs

"Oh well. I guess it was nothing to do with you then. Night"

"Night."

An hour since she fell asleep and I am still wide awake. Why was Hermione crying?

A/N Well I had extreme writers block writing this and I'm afraid this isn't one of my better pieces but I still managed to finish it. Please leave a review, for they are very helpful. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N I apologize for last chapter, it was not the greatest. I do enjoy writing from Ginnys perspective but since I am writing off of my knowledge from the movies, she does not have that much screen time and they do not go into her story as much as I wish. So again I apologize and enjoy this chapter of Smoke and Mirrors. (PS. I do not really love the name. In the reviews could you please write down a few suggestions? Thanks)

Hermiones Perspective:

I can't stop thinking of Ginny. After I left her room last night from our talk I just broke down, crying hysterically. I don't know how much longer I can keep up this façade, I just want to tell Ginny how I feel, but I know she doesn't feel the same way. Last night when I told her Ron asked me out, she looked so sad, probably because he's her brother and she thinks I could do so much better. And to make it worse Dorothy, Ginnys roommate, saw me cry after I left her room. How humiliating! Anyway, tonight we take the train to the Burrow for Christmas. And Apparently Ron has a local place he wants to take me for our date. Wonderful. He is a good friend and all but that's all he will ever be.

As we board the train, we take our usual compartment. Just the three of us, Harry, Ron, and Me. Just like always. When the fifth years board, I see Ginny walking through and we make brief eye contact, I begin to blush and I could've sworn she did to. Then Harry, oblivious to everything, stops her.

"Hey Ginny, Come sit with us!" I know the way he looks at her, he likes her and she would be an idiot not to like him back. Even if it does mean I can't be with her. I hate being in love, it was so much simpler when I just could study all day and not have to worry about romance.

"Are you guys sure? I mean, its always just been you three and I don't wanna get in the middle of that." She says nervously, but I feel its not just sentimentality she is worried about.

"Yea Harry, why don't we think this over? I mean shes my little sister!" Ron says, clearly not wanted her here.

"Oh stop it Ron!" I hear myself say, it just came out. "Its Fine, Ginny, Come sit over here"

"And this is how it happens! What's gonna happen next, Ginny? Are you gonna steal one of my best friends?" I can't help but smirk at Rons frustration. Much to Harrys disappointment, Ginny decided to sit next to me, which made me happy and nervous. Ron just shakes his head and consumes his chocolate frogs.

"So is everybody looking forward to Christmas?" Ginny asks us, trying to start a conversation. Harry voluntarily answers eagerly.

"Well of course! It beats staying at my uncle Vernons House, they are terrible."

"Well the Burrow isn't much better, its pretty cramped and a little unstable." Ginny says,

"Oh I love the Burrow, its so homey and full of life!" I say, unable to control myself, Ginny smiles at me, then within a second it disappears.

When we arrive at the station I see Mrs. Weasley waiting for us on the platform. As the train slows to a stop we reach for our bags, each of us have 2 bags with the exception of two people, me and Ginny. Since I have a special bag I only need one and Ginny does not pack lightly to put it nicely. So as she reaches for her third bag, I touch her shoulder, and again I feel a surge of energy run down my spine.

"Hey, I can grab your bag, since I only have one" I try to say with my sweetest voice. She blushes and I start to turn red as well. Have I made a mistake?

"Oh thanks, Hermione," She hands me her lightest bag. "I should really consider condensing space, huh?"

"Well its no problem really, nothing wrong with bringing comforts from home, right?"

"Yea I guess, Ron always gets on my back about it." She says and I sense a bit of sorrow in her voice.

"Oh don't pay attention to him, just be yourself." She smiles sweetly, and I swear her eyes sparkle.

Once we reach the Burrow Harry and Ron race towards the kitchen, most likely looking for food. Classic boys. Mrs. Weasley soon runs after yelling at them and telling them not to eat too much. Finally it is just me and Ginny, something I have been waiting for, for a long time.

"So Ginny?" She looks at me,

"Yea Hermione?" I suddenly get all nervous.

"How does Christmas normally work at your house?" I say quickly, I mean it was the first thing that came up in my mind. She ponders this for a bit.

"Well Ron usually wakes up first, then Fred and George, then me because I like my beauty sleep." She says lightheartedly.

"Well of course!"

"Then we go downstairs and exchange gifts, that is the best part!" She says clearly excited.

"Oh dear, I feel so bad, I didn't get the rest of your family any presents!"

"Oh don't worry about it, its fine" there is a brief moment of silence. "So where is Ron planning on taking you tonight?"

"Oh I don't know, he said someplace local around here. He said after dinner and I really don't know what to expect"

"Well I'm sure it will be great, Ron is pretty thoughtful." I can tell she means to be cheerful, but she isn't really good at faking emotions. Then again, neither am I.

"Come on, Mione!" Ron tells me as I am putting on my shoes and jacket. I know he is excited but, you don't rush your date.

"Calm down Ron!" He realizes what he did wrong and tries to hide his excitement by pacing around the room. As I finish tying my last shoe I stand up and he sighs in relief. As we walk out the door I cant hekp myself but think, "this will not end well"

A/N Im going to end it there and for future notice I will not be writing the events that happen during the date because I don't really want to write about Ron. The next chapter will be from Ginnys perspective and will be set immediately after the date, before they arrive back home. As always reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N As previously stated I will not be writing from Hermione's perspective about the date this chapter starts right after the date and Hermione hasn't come home yet. Please enjoy this chapter.

Ginny's POV:

The stars are so beautiful, not as beautiful as my Hermione but still, they are pretty. After Hermione left I just stretched out a blanket on a hill on our fields. I need some fresh air to clear my mind and try not to think of Hermione, which, as you know by now is not working. It's been a few hours since they left and they haven't returned yet, they must be having a good time. As I begin pack up the blanket, I hear voices.

"Ron listen, please don't be mad, it's just that I like you more as a friend than anything else" I hear Hermione say.

"I'm not mad Hermione I'm just a little bummed that's all. I just got my hopes up to high, you know?" Ron replies back with sorrow in his voice. "Well good night then" Ron says again and I hear footsteps leading toward the house. I peek up and see Hermione, just standing there. I decide to take a risk. I stand up and say to her,

"Hey Hermione!" she looks up and she has tears starting to form in her eyes, but she also looks happy to see me. It breaks my heart to see her crying. She just waves at me. "Is everything okay? How did the date go?"

She begins to walk over to where I am and then lies down on the blanket. "It didn't go well, Gin. I mean it was nice, he took me to a nice little lake that glowed blue at night, but after awhile I had to tell him I only wanted to be friends."

"Oh" I say dumbly, as I lay down next to her on the blanket, we both are staring at the stars. "How did he take it?"

"Better than expected, but still he is sad about it, understandably." She says wiping a tear from her eye.

Deciding to move away from the topic I point to the sky. "Hey look its Orion's Belt!"

She sniffles a bit. "Wow, you can see the stars so clearly from here."

"I know, we live out in the middle of nowhere and the lack of lighting makes the stars shine brighter." I say confidently.

"I just hope things aren't awkward between Ron and I now" I guess we are back on the topic of relationships. I can also hear her sniffling, and I take my second risk tonight. I wrap my arm around her and hug her. She rolls into me, crying. I mean I always wanted her in my arms, but not ya'know, all sad.

"Shh its okay, Hermione, how come you are crying?" She says something I can't understand, but luckily she repeats it.

"I just don't know if I will find the right person for me!" I stroke her hair.

"You will find them, even if it means waiting some more, you will find them." She pulls away, wiping her tears and trying to collect herself. Then she starts shivering, I mean its freezing out here. "Wanna go inside? I can fix you some hot chocolate"

"Yea sure Gin, thank you" We get up and fold the blanket, as we are walking to the Burrow, clouds begin to form and a spot a couple snowflakes.

"Well it looks like its going to be a white Christmas after all" I say, and Hermione nods.

After we get our hot chocolate and settle down we find ourselves sitting on the couch. Hermione has her legs crossed and is staring intently at her mug. Soon the silence became over whelming.

"So are you looking forward to anything when we get back?" I ask her, referring to when we get back to Hogwarts.

"No not really, sorry I'm being such a drag right now." She says distantly, "I guess I'm just a little tired"

"Oh, we can head upstairs now, I'm kinda tired myself" I suggest even though I wasn't tired at all.

She just nods and we head up the frail stairs.

"Oh hello girls," When I hear the voice, I look up and see my mom standing on the next floor. "I'm sorry but Ginny, the spare bed seems to have disappeared on us again you two will need to sleep together tonight, is that okay?"

"Um sure, I'm fine with that, What about you Hermione?" I try to hide my excitement; I mean I will be sleeping next to her!

"Oh yea its fine, I'm no stranger to close quarter living" She says, with what seemed like a boost of energy, she probably didn't want to look lethargic in front of my mom.

"Again, I'm sorry for the inconveniences. And Hermione, how did your date go with Ron?" I look at her with an anxious look, what would she say?

"Oh it went fine; he took me to see that cool looking lake" Mom smiles and nods,

"Well goodnight! Remember we have to decorate, tomorrow is Christmas Eve, so no sleeping in!"

When we enter my room, I see my normal bed sitting there, except it was all made and my room was clean, Mom probably wanted to make it look presentable.

"Yea sorry you have to share a bed with me, I'm not the most peaceful sleeper" I say sheepishly and I can't help but blush a bit. Hermione just looks at me and smiles,

"Oh it's fine, I'm a pretty deep sleeper myself" I smile and nod. I take out my pajamas and start to head to the bathroom.

"Oh no need to change in the bathroom, we're both girls right?" She says with a sweet smile. Yea that's kinda the problem there Mione. "I promise I won't look." She reassures me.

I undress as fast as I can, and true to her word, she does not look. As I turn around to face her, I am faced with a full glimpse of her undressed backside. I feel myself begin to blush as I look away but it was too late, she looks over her shoulder and catches me.

"Sneaking a peek are we?" she says accusingly

Still faced away, I begin to furiously shake my head, "N-No I didn't mean to- I didn't know you were undressing as well, I swear!"

She begins to laugh, "I'm only kidding, I know you didn't do it on purpose, you can look now, I'm finished"

Still red with embarrassment I turn around to see Hermione in a skin-tight cotton jumper, which showed every single curve on her body, this was both a good and a bad thing. I wouldn't complain about her decision, if I didn't turn beet red and start sweating. She luckily doesn't notice and we climb into the bed. My bed isn't that big, so it was a little cramped, even with our slender bodies. With a snap of a finger the light turns off, and then the only thing lighting up my room was the light of the moon outside.

"Hey it's pretty cold, do you mind if we get closer? I mean body heat is an excellent way to keep warm" This is literally a dream come true.

"Um yea sure, that sounds like a good idea" Then she moves over a bit and I can feel her breath on my face, it smells like roses. I just hope my breath doesn't stink. Then I feel her body move up against mine, her breasts are bigger than mine and I can feel them through her cotton pajamas.

"Is this too close?" She says, in a whisper. I can feel the heat radiating off of her lithe body.

"No this is just fine; I know this is a little cramped." I say, I can't help but shiver a bit.

"Oh no its fine, are you cold? You are shivering" She says with concern and care in her voice.

"A little bit, I just need time to warm up that's all" I say trying to cover the fact that I'm not cold, I'm nervous.

"Her maybe I could help" She says as she wraps her arms around my waist and my upper body.

"Oh thanks, that helps a bit" She falls silent and it takes me a little bit to realize that she, in fact, had fallen asleep.

"Goodnight, Mione, I love you" I say in my quietest voice, as I slip into a deep sleep.

A/N So how do you guys like the story so far? Please leave any suggestions in the reviews and remember criticism is always welcome. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So I'm gonna open on the morning of Christmas Eve, and thank you to the followers of this story. Enjoy.

Hermione's POV

I didn't get much sleep last night. I mean I was comfortable and everything, who wouldn't be? Sleeping in a small bed with the love of your life inches away from you, was my dream come true. As I was about to fall asleep I heard Ginny whisper to herself in the quietest voice I have ever heard. 'Good night Mione, I love you' that simple statement was the start of a long night of light sleeping and blank stares at the ceiling. In fact, I think it's about seven o'clock in the morning, and all I'm doing is lying down with my eyes closed, thinking. I was about to finally fall asleep when I hear a house broadcast,

"Children, time to get up! We need to decorate the house!" Then I hear simultaneous groans throughout the house, including one right beside me. I open my eyes, beyond tired, and drag myself out of bed. When I look down I realize that my jumper has unzipped a bit, I hope this won't continue, because then I will be forced to not wear it anymore. It would be a shame because I bought it just for her, hoping that she would notice me, and judging from her furious blushing last night, I think she did. It was so cute last night how she was all red and stammering, it's one of the many reasons I love her.

"Come on Ginny! Wake up!" she groans and pulls the pillow over her face. "Come on, I don't wanna see your mom mad"

She pulls herself up and sits on the bed, still having her eyes closed. Her pajamas, unlike mine, are baggy, perhaps a tad too baggy because it fell off her shoulder a bit and revealed her bra underneath. I decided not to say anything, and wonder what her reaction would be.

"You better get dressed Ginny, I think your mom is coming up to see if everyone's awake" I state, as I hear footsteps coming up the stairs then stop a floor below us, then yelling.

"Mm, yea I guess you're right," She says still half asleep, then she looks down, her eyes widen and she turns beet red. I pretend I didn't see anything.

"What's wrong Ginny?" She looks up at me clearly embarrassed,

"Wha- Oh N-Nothing, I just saw a spider, that's all" she says becoming more and more red by the second, I know it's a lie but I play along.

"Ew, spiders are gross" I say as I make a face. She laughs nervously a little and takes her clothes out to the bathroom.

"I'm gonna change in the bathroom, I don't want a repeat of what happened last night." She says light heartedly. I nod and she leaves the room. I wish I could make her feel more comfortable around me; did I jump the gun on how she feels?

After I get dressed I start to brush my unruly hair when Ginny walks in,

"Are you feeling alright?" She says to me, I return her comment with a puzzled look, "Well you seemed pretty upset last night about the date, and I just wasn't sure."

I set the brush down, "Yea I'm fine, I think I was a little upset of how things went, and I was also a little tired from the train ride here. Thanks though"

"Yea, remember I'm always here to talk" She says as she puts her pajamas away. I was such a wreck last night. I mean, during the date, Ron was so kind and he kept his usual comments to himself. After I explained to him that I just want to be friends, he seemed so sad, which of course made me sad as well. But nonetheless, Ginny was there to comfort me, she really is a caring and wonderful woman, I don't blame my heart for loving her.

Then just in the nick of time, Mrs. Weasley entered our room, ready to yell us awake, but when she saw us already dressed and organized, she smiled and says,

"Well isn't this a nice change? I just got done getting Harry and Ron up; it's nice to see someone who loves to decorate the house as much as I do.

"Well mom Hermione can take all the credit, she's the one who got me up in time." Ginny says smiling, while it's my turn to turn red and blush.

"Well in that case, thank you Hermione for getting Ginerva up at a decent hour" Before I can say anything Ginny cuts in.

"Mom! You know I don't like to be called that!" She says getting a little peeved.

"Oops sorry honey, now I have breakfast already made downstairs so just help yourselves." She says, and then she continues her way up the stairs.

I turn to Ginny "Ginerva huh?"

Her expression to me is softer but still she doesn't like it. "Don't go there" She says flatly and I raise my hands up in surrender.

As we descend the stairs to the kitchen I spot Ron and Harry already at the table, eating. I falter and Ginny whispers to me,

"Its okay, I'm sure he won't make a big deal about it" I nod and we continue our way down.

When we approach the table Harry smiles and greets us, while Ron just looks up, then looks back down. From what it looks like, there are muffins sausage and eggs for breakfast, Ron of course has taken the majority of the sausage, and has it piled on his plate. As I make my own plate, Ginny sits between Ron and I, she is such a good friend, and I wish it could be more, but what if she meant she loved me like a friend?

"Hey, you okay?" Ginny says to me, noticing me staring off into space. I turn my gaze to her,

"Yea, I'm fine, just a little tired that's all" It's the truth, I am REALLY tired, hopefully I can make it thought the day.

"Oh, were you uncomfortable last night?" She says frowning. I shake my head.

"Oh no, it was divine last night, I don't know why I'm tired" Ginny's frown disappears, but she still has a worried expression on her face. As we sit down, Ron hurriedly finishes up and leaves the table. I can't help but feel guilty as I look down at my plate, Harry doesn't notice but, Ginny does. She puts a hand on my shoulder. I feel better but not by much.

"Well Ron and I are supposed to decorate the outside, so I guess I will see you guys later?" Harry says, focused more on Ginny than the both of us, I can't help but feel territorial and jealous. As he leaves Ginny Finishes up her plate, while mine is still mostly full.

"Aren't you hungry?" Ginny says, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I ate some, but I'm not that hungry, last night's dinner was very filling" She nods her head but she still has a look of concern on her face. She is so cute when she is concerned!

"Alright girls! You can help decorate the tree!" Mrs. Weasley says cheerfully. Ginny groans and then drags herself over to the tree. Luckily the tree was already positioned right so we wouldn't have to make sure it was straight, that can be a pain. As we wrap the lights around the tree, I see Ginny trying to place a small box inside the tree; she didn't do a very good job at hiding it though. I could swear the name which was written on the box started with an H.

A/N I know this is a weird place to leave off at but for the next scenes I want to write in Ginny's POV so that's the plan for the next chapter, until then keep on reviewing and again, thank you for your support


	7. Chapter 7

A/N So I am still not sure how this story is gonna end up, so here we go I guess

Ginny's POV:

Thank god the tree is already positioned right; I hate it when I have to correct it to my mom's liking. As Hermione and I decorate the tree, I slip a little box into the tree branches, I hope nobody notices. It's my present to Hermione, and I plan to give it to her when we are alone. Whenever I'm around her I feel as if my heart is going to burst out of my chest, I NEED to tell someone about my feeling, or else I'm going to explode!

"Ginny! Is this you?" It was a picture of me as a baby. The picture was the worst ever, I had the worst haircut, it was a bowl cut and it was sort of lopsided, thanks to Fred and George.

"Oh my god I hate that picture!" It's true; I despise it with a passion. She keeps looking at it.

"You are so adorable!" She says with a smile, my anger lowers at the sight of her smile. "At least you aren't crying in your baby photo"

"Oh come on, no one's picture is worse than mine!" She looks at me with a 'are you serious' look.

"Oh I see you found Ginny's baby picture!" We both look up and see my mom hanging wreaths around the house.

"Oh yes! I think it's so cute!" Hermione says with enthusiasm.

"I know! Ginny doesn't think so but I think it's her cutest picture!" Mom says cheerily, Hermione laughs and I begin to turn red.

"Oh! Before I forget can you girls take the food out of the oven, in twenty minutes? I have to go to the market for a couple things." Mom says as she gets ready to go. She knows that I am terrible at cooking, but I think Hermione can pick up my slack.

As my mom leaves the house, we finish decorating the tree and we both look towards the kitchen.

"So are you any good in the kitchen?" I ask her nervously. Without breaking her gaze on the kitchen, she shakes her head.

"No, I'm god-awful" She says and then she looks at me, and suddenly I find myself staring endlessly into her gorgeous eyes. They are full of compassion and kindness, and –

"Ginny? Are you alright?" Her voice snaps me back to reality.

"Wha- yea I'm fine, just a little tired is all" She nods.

"Well I can understand that, how much longer should the food be in the oven for?" She asks, straightening out her sweater, which got a bit wrinkled doing decorations.

"Hm, my mom left about ten minutes ago, so I think ten minutes right?" Hermione nods, I don't know why she asked me she is the smart one here. "How are your parents? Are they okay with you spending the holidays with us?"

"Oh they're fine, their business hasn't been better, and they are fine with me over here, I mean it's nice to change things up a bit" She says as she is moving some of the ornaments around the tree. Then she gets a nervous look on her face, "So, how long do you think Ron will stay mad at me for?"

This question caught me off guard. "Oh I'm sure he will be over it by tomorrow, Christmas is his favorite holiday," I say, and she smiles but I can tell she is still worried about something. "Why? Is there something else you aren't telling me?"

"No I just don't want Ron to be in a mood forever and I really don't want your parents to know how bad it went either" She says quickly, and apparently she didn't mean to say all of that because she immediately put her hand over her mouth.

I hold her hands and look her in the eyes, as I begin to speak; I am amazed of how perfect our hands feel together. "Oh Hermione, Ron isn't something to get yourself worked up over, he will be fine. And as for my parents, they knew you and Ron weren't going to work out."

"Really? How did they know?" She asked now confused.

"Well, I mean you and Ron weren't always compatible around each other, nor were you friendly" I say with a slight giggle. She smiles and pulls her hands away, and to my surprise she wraps her arms around me in a hug.

"Thanks Ginny. You are the best friend a girl could ever ask for" My stomach drops and my heart cracks a bit, that's final, Hermione only thinks of me as a friend. Why do I have to be so different! "Oh I think the food can come out now, it's been about ten minutes"

"Oh yea, I guess it has been" I say quietly, and I barely try to make my hurt and disappointment. Thankfully she doesn't notice. She opens the oven and looks inside, a wave of heat hits us full on and we both back off a bit.

"Wow that's really warm" Hermione says, still looking at the oven. I nod and hand her an oven mitt, she outs in on and begins to take out the dishes on the right side of the oven. I put on the back up mitt and when I reach for the bread I feel a flare of intense pain shoot through my hand all the way up to my arm.

"OW!" I scream and drop the bread back into the oven. Hermione darts her gaze over to me. Her eyes widen and she quickly sets the ham onto the counter.

"Oh gosh Ginny! What happened?" She asks panicking as she rushes me to the sink.

"I think the mitt had a hole in it!" It doesn't help when a stream of ice cold water hits it without warning. "Ahh! Stop it Mione!"

"Well this is how you treat it so quit complaining!"

"Cant you use magic or something?" I say through my clenched teeth,

"Well no because I don't want to be in trouble with the ministry" She says flatly.

"Okay well thanks anyway" She doesn't respond and keeps her eyes focused on my hand.

"Well it doesn't look too bad. Good thing you let go right away" She says after examining my injury.

"Are you sure?" I ask, truth be told I just didn't want Hermione to let go of my hand.

"Yea, you will be fine" and just like that, she let go.

Dinner was okay and the food was fine (Except for the bread, we left that in while she treated my hand) and my mom had no idea that I burned myself. I preferred it that way because she can over worry about my health sometimes, I mean you should hear her during quidditch season. As we all split up to do our separate thing, Hermione and I made our way towards the couch, on the way I tried to slyly pick up Hermione's gift. I was about to give it to her we hear a thud on the window. At first we think its Ron throwing snowballs at the house but when we hear a scratching sound, I go check it out. It looks like Hermione's owl, and it has a letter attached to it.

"Hey Hermione, I think it's for you" As she gets up and reads the letter, her hand covers her mouth and I see tears start to form in her eyes.

"What's wrong Hermione?" I ask, my mind is racing a million thoughts a second. Was it a love letter? A letter saying someone had died?

"It's my dad," She begins, trying to hold back tears, "He got in an accident and he's in critical condition"

A/N Sorry to leave it off here, but I will be out of town and I won't be able to write a lot but I should update in the next week or so, thanks again and please review and any feedback is gratefully accepted.


	8. Chapter 8

Smoke and Mirrors

Authors Note: Yo I know it's been awhile, I kinda lost interest in the story but I recently went to Universal Studios Hollywood and saw the Harry Potter area, and I fell in love with the world again. I will try to upload at least twice a month. So without further delay, let's get into the story.

~ Ginny's POV

Hermione was quiet for most of the car ride. She only spoke when she had to give us directions to the hospital where her father is being treated. Oh by the way, the reason why we are in the flying car (Which my dad fixed after we found it. Long story) is because we can apparate yet, and floo powder wouldn't work out so well in a muggle community Hermione had mentioned. Anyway, I didn't try to say anything because Hermione seemed pretty stressed and trying to talk with her would only create bad scenarios in her head. That's why Mum and Dad didn't let Harry and Ron come along, Harry would try to help, and Ron wouldn't be in a good mood from his "date" with Hermione. I don't want to seem diabolical, but I'm glad the date went the way it went. I mean why wouldn't I be? I like her a lot.

We must've been getting close because Hermione started to fidget and looking out the windows with angst. We touched down a little outside her hometown, so we could drive on the street and appear as "Muggles". It took a little longer than what it would if we flew, but the car can make good time when it wants to. Though it doesn't matter to Hermione. No car, no chimney, no broom, could have brought her to her parents as fast as she would've wanted. As we pulled into the parking lot of the Hospital, Hermione barely waited for the car to stop before she leaped out of the car. My parents tried to stop me as I ran after her, when we busted through the door, the on duty folk looked startled and one dropped what they were doing to talk to us.

"Is everything alright? Do you need Help?" The woman asked us kindly. Hermione, her gaze darting around the room, which I had just noticed to having a large waiting room, and very large file cabinets behind the desk.

"My name Is Hermione Granger," She said somewhat distant though, still looking around, then focused her gaze on the woman. "My father was admitted here because of an accident"

"Oh yes! Your mother said you might be dropping by, but not nearly this soon…" Her voice trailed off.

"Can you please tell me which room he is in?" And the woman complied.

Hermione still said no word to me. When she put her mind to something, she wouldn't stop for anything, or have anything distract her either. We had to climb several flights of stairs and run through a couple of corridors to reach his room. Room 93/4. It's a coincidence the room number was the way it was, since platform 9 and ¾ is the bridge between magic and muggle. Hermione opened the door, and to my surprise, a man in a cot, with loads of wires hooked up to him, but I couldn't tell much else because he was covered in bandages and casts. I almost overlooked the fact that he was sound asleep. Hermione brushed up next to him, and gave him a little hug, sniffling a bit. I did a quick once over around the room, looking at all the strange contraptions. No magic. It must be a horrible world to live in. If any of us were to get in this bad a situation, someone like madam Pomfrey could fix us up in a jiff. It's too bad Hermione's Family doesn't have that luxury. A woman, presumably Hermione's mother, was sleeping in a chair, by the door, with her jacket over her as a blanket. After Hermione gets up, she walks over to the sink and uses a couple of the tissues.

"Oh look at me I'm such a mess" She says, wiping tears from her eyes. I put my hand on her shoulder. And all of a sudden she does a full 180 and hugs me with a ferocity of a lion. It took me by such surprise, that I forgot to hug back. After a good ten seconds, she releases and leads me out of the room.

"Its best we wait out here, I wouldn't want to wake them" She said, sitting in a chair in the hallway, the gestures for me to sit with her.

"So how long will your Father have to stay here? I mean how fast to muggles get treated?" Hermione becomes serious.

"It depends on the injury, we can't use magic, so it could be days." This seems to make her even sadder. Then I get an idea.

"Hey I haven't been in the muggle world for real yet, would you mind showing me around? I'm still all new to this, you know" I try to say cheerfully.

"Listen Ginny," She starts, "I know you are just trying to help, but I'm not feeling it. Thanks anyway though"

"Yea…" I say kinda quiet. "Yea no problem"

It was quiet for a couple minutes before my Mum and Dad arrived.

"Girls!" Mum exclaims. "It took us forever to find you"

"Sorry, Hermione wanted to see her Dad" Her expression softens at the sight of Hermione's miserable face.

"Well I'm sure Hermione knows her way around, but you've hardly been in the Muggle world, you could get lost"

"Oh don't worry Mrs. Weasley," Hermione speaks up. "I wouldn't let her out of my sight"

As soon as she said it she started blushing, my parents didn't notice because my Dad spoke up.

"See Molly? I knew they would be alright, it isn't like Hermione to be careless"

"Well alright, if you want, Arthur and I can grab your items if you want to stay for the Holiday" It took all my might to appear that it didn't affect me.

"That would be lovely, but can Ginny stay with me?" Hermione asks politely, but not even my measly amount of self-control could help me from smiling. My mother noticed this and then responded.

"That sounds good to me, what about you Arthur?" As if he had a say in the matter anyway.

"Oh yea it should be no problem, I will go get the car ready." And with that he left. Soon after we heard rustling in her father's room, and Hermione dashed in, but Mum held me back.

"What is it Mum?" I ask trying to follow Hermione into the room.

"Let her be alone Ginny, she probably doesn't want to be bothered, and if you are going to stay here, I need to know what to get you from the Burrow" Mum says, with an empathetic expression on her face. I take one last look in the room, with Hermione speaking with her father.

Out in the waiting room Mum sits down and bring out a spare piece of paper and a mini quill. So I begin listing the stuff I need.

"About 4 days' worth of clothes, probably my boots, oh definitely my-"My mother stops me short.

"How long have you had your eyes on her" Her voice giddy with excitement. My face feels hot and I begin to stutter.

"Wha-what are you talking about? Eyes on who?" I manage to get out.

"Oh please Ginny dear, I have had my suspicions since last year, but seeing you and her this Christmas really set it in stone. So how long have you had your eyes on Hermione?" She asks again barely able to control her excitement. I take a deep breath.

"Well start of last year's first term really, but you aren't mad with me?" I ask kind of quiet, I have planned to tell my parents, not them figuring it out.

"Mad?! Why on earth would I be mad at you for being yourself? When I attended Hogwarts, one of my best friends liked a Slytherin girl!" She says smiling. She continues, "I'm just glad you aren't trying to be someone you aren't"

Before I know it I lunged for my Mum, hugging her tight and on the verge of tears. "You don't know how much those words mean, thank you"

She hugs back, and after a few moments we pull apart and I wipe off the small tears forming in my eyes.

"Does anyone else know? Harry or Ron?" Mum asks me.

"Oh Merlin no, imagine how Ron would treat me if he knew I like Hermione? Especially after their 'date'" I say, regaining my composure.

"Oh that's right, that's another thing I meant to say, I think-" Before she could say anything further, my Dad walks into the room, Mum looks at me and I shake my head slightly and she nods, knowing not to say anything.

"Alright, Molly are you ready to go? It might be a long ride" he says, wiping an oil smudge off his face.

"Yep, lets head on back, we will be right back with all your things, why don't you keep Hermione company?"

"Oh Mum, I need to get Hermione's present for me, it's a small box under the tree" I say urgently as they are leaving the room.

"Oh of course Honey, see you in a bit!" and with that I was left alone in the waiting room, and I head back to Hermione's parents room.

As I reach the corridor, I see Hermione walking into the Hallway with a cheerful look on her face. When I reach her she smiles at me and says,

"Wanna go check out the town a bit?" taken aback by the change in mood.

"Yea sure thing, but don't you want to be with your parents?" I ask curiously.

"Oh they are fine, I just spoke with my dad and Mum and they are doing just fine, he is in a little pain but nothing time can't fix" She says, reassuring that she is okay to leave.

"Great! I mean last time I saw you, you didn't want to leave their side"

"Yea but I was just nervous because I didn't know what was going on, you know how I hate that feeling."

I laugh a bit, I sure do know how that can get to her, and it's what makes teasing her a bit more enjoyable. She puts on her winter coat and I do the same, and then we head out of the hospital and into the snowy streets.

Endnote: Yea so I'm not too sure how this story is gonna end, I was leaning toward a tragic ending, but I seem to do better with it being a simple love story without any death involved. Let me know by reviewing and thank you all for holding out. I am sorry I took so long to update.

-booyah111oak2 out


	9. Chapter 9

Smoke and Mirrors

Authors Note: Hey sorry I'm just reposting this chapter, but I have corrected some errors in the writing and I fixed some grammar issues as well.

The winter sky was a beautifully lit with glittering stars and for some reason the cold made the night a lot clearer. Both in scenery and mentally. The Muggle world is so different than mine, I mean from a distance you can't tell the difference, but when you take a closer look, you start to see the changes. Such as the struggles and day to day problems they have to deal with that me and the rest of the Wizarding world take for granted. But I guess we are all two sides of the same Galleon, one side is our world, and the other is theirs. But there is a silver lining in between. And I call that silver lining Hermione Granger. When she explains the Muggle world to me, I can just see how much it thrills her to teach someone something new. Don't get me wrong, I love her but sometimes I just don't get what she is saying sometimes.

"What do you mean, you have to _pay_ to get around town?" I ask, broomsticks don't need fuel, and floo powder barely costs a sickle. Hermione laughs a little bit.

"Unfortunately, people like my parents have to buy petrol, a kind of fuel, to power their car. It's the same everywhere else, we don't have unlimited amounts of power, but I wish we did. It would cause a whole bunch conflicts to end" She says.

"Yea I guess so, but that could cause more problems, like who could gain the most power. That's what's happening with you-know-who" I point out. I think it might be better if we had to be more accountable of our actions.

"Oh please Ginny! Let's not talk about troubling topics, it's Christmas! Can't I spend a night with the best Girl in the world?!" Moments after saying this, Hermione's cheeks flushed red, but who knows it could have just been the cold.

"Oh Alright. So, where do you want to go now? My parents won't be back for another couple hours" Hermione is remains quiet for a bit, I can tell the gears are turning.

"How about a Café? I'm pretty sure one has to be open, even if it is almost midnight"

"That sounds great!" But I soon begin to rethink. "But I only have wizard currency, you think they will accept it?"

"Ah, no. But not to worry, I've got some money to cover you." She says kindly, with a smile. She looks so adorable in her fur jacket.

We continued to walk down the street for a bit, the snowfall covering the footsteps we left behind. I'm not used to automobiles on the streets, or urban life for that matter, I mean I have lived in the Burrow all my life. But going from magic to magic is a transformation that is a lot harder than streets and cars. We turn a couple roads down, and then come across a small Café, the golden light was flooding the street. When I step up to the door and open it, a rush of warm air greets me and I gesture to Hermione and she walks in and I follow close behind.

"Happy Holidays!" The Elderly man behind the counter says, as he polishes the counter. "Take any seat you would like. Elizabeth! Come and get their orders please!" He says to someone in the back room. We make our way to a little table by the window in the far corner of the shop. Somewhere where they can't listen in. Hermione pulls out my chair for me and I blush a bit, I hope she just thinks it is the sudden rush of warmth. Moments pass and a girl, she couldn't have been more than thirteen, comes out wearing an apron and a notepad.

"Greetings! What could I get you two?" She says cheerfully, but you could tell she has been having a long day.

"Hi there," Hermione starts. "I will get a peppermint mocha and some Holiday Pudding"

Then the girl looks at me, I begin to stutter with my words. "Oh, um, I guess I will have the same thing as her, besides the Pudding."

"Well we are going to throw out the rest of the Pudding anyway, I could just give you the rest of it for its original price" The girl says kindly.

"Sure that sounds great!" And as she turns to leave, Hermione pipes up.

"You have a long day?" This catches the girl off guard.

"Oh yea, ever since my Grandma got sick, my Grandpa and I have had to pull longer shifts to make ends meet." The girl immediately regrets saying this because before Hermione could respond, she has already bolted off back to the backroom.

"It's so different here than in the magic world" I say out loud, without thinking. Hermione looks at me.

"See? I _told_ you so" She says emphasizing her words like she always does. "Muggles don't have to deal with lots of weird stuff, but they sure do make it up with other stuff"

"Yea you're right, but at least they don't have to deal with stuff like a Basilisk or anything" I say half-jokingly. But I would much rather take a Basilisk than have one of my family get hurt or sick, even if it is easier to cure in the magic world.

"So…" Hermione begins, looking me directly in the eye. "What does your family do on Christmas Day? I mean anything super spectacular?"

I had to think honestly, I mean some traditions so normal in a wizard family may be totally new for her.

"Open presents, everyone helps pitch in to make dinner, actually now come and think of it, Christmas is the day that we don't use a whole lot of extraordinary kinds of magic" Hermione kind of looks disappointed.

"Wow I thought it would be a whole magic show you know"

"Oh please, it's always a show when Fred and George are involved. And plus, it's going to be magic enough that you are there to join us" I regret the words immediately. How could I be so stupid? Letting my emotions come out like that. Before Hermione can respond, the girl comes back over with a tray with two steaming cups and a plate with a pile of dark stuff with red and green decorations.

"Here you guys go, two peppermint mochas and the last of the Christmas Pudding" She says as she sets the tray down and passes the cups to us and puts the Pudding in between us. "Would you guys like anything else tonight?"

"No that would be all thanks. Oh and here you go," Hermione hands her a note with a big fifty on it. Now I am not too sure how valuable Muggle currency is but all I needed to see was the girls eyes widen and hesitate to take the note. "I hope your Grandma pulls through okay" and with that she scurried off to tell the elderly man.

"Oh Hermione!" I say in a low whisper. She blushes and just drinks her beverage.

When we make our way back to the hospital, I watch the sky, hoping I would see the flying sky blue automobile streaking by. I really want to give Hermione her gift, which I won't tell what it is just yet.

"So what's your absolute favorite thing at Hogwarts?" I ask her, trying to get some insight into what she enjoys.

"Wow is that a loaded question," She says, trailing off to think, "Well I guess it would have to be all of the people I get to see you know? Such as you, Harry, Ron, Luna, Neville and so on and so forth. School would be pretty boring without you all"

I can't help but feel thrilled that I happened to be on her list of her favorite people, before Harry even!

"Well?" She says back to me. "What's your favorite thing at Hogwarts?"

Oh this is easy. "I mean Quidditch is fun and all, but it's nothing without your teammates and you're House to back you up. I guess it's the people too"

Hermione smiles and nods her head. Then I she looks into a store window and stops to peer into the glass. "Wow look at this book bag Ginny!"

Normally I'm not one to be all excited about something that carries books, but I got to admit, it looked nice. It was made of leather, and was a deep shade of brown with unique pressed designs on the strap and flap of the bag. The buttons and buckles were a darker golden color and it looked like it could hold a decent amount of books even if its size was a little smaller. It was a perfect for Hermione's size and figure and I could see that she loved it. It's only a shame I don't have any Muggle money.

"It sure looks nice, it goes better with our house than the blue one you have right now" I say, confirming her own thoughts.

"Oh well, it's something to look at, I think I would be too afraid to use it, I wouldn't want to spill anything on it or anything" She says trying to convince herself that it was for the best.

"Who knows? You could get some Christmas money tomorrow" I say trying to cheer her up. She smiles at me and we continue on our way back to the hospital.

Little did I know that my parents had already come back, and I guess we took too long because they decided to just drop off our stuff in Hermione's parents room and head back to the Burrow. Hermione was fine with this of course and I was more concerned if my mother had found my present and packed it. While Hermione was speaking with her parents, I was digging through my bag, looking for that small box with Hermione's name on it. When I finally came across it, I saw a note was attached to it, it was from Mum.

 _Ginny,_

 _I know how hard it is to love someone and have them not know it, or maybe not feel the same way. But I advise you to tell Hermione how you feel about her. If you are worried that she won't talk to you again, then you really don't know her at all. I hope your Christmas is a magical one, even in the Muggle world, and the Family and Harry wish Hermione's Father a speedy recovery._

 _With love,_

 _Mum_

I get so lost in the note I almost didn't see Hermione approaching me, and she almost saw the paper! That would be a complete disaster. I quickly hid the note and box in my coat pocket and tried to pretend that I wasn't up to anything.

"Hey what was that?" Hermione asks, ever the curious one. It's so hard to lie to her.

"Oh just a list of stuff my dad wants to learn about Muggles, like what do their Houses look like?" I say with somewhat confidence, dismissing the note. Then Hermione grins a bit.

"Well you can check that one off because my Mum said we can stay at the house, even though she is going to stay here with dad" My heart almost leaped right out of my chest.

"That's great! But won't you stay with your dad tonight?"

"Oh he's got my Mum here, plus there is nothing to do here, and it's **much** more comfy at the house, you know with actual beds" She says cheerfully.

"So, where exactly do you live?"

For my first cab ride, I can't say it was very eventful, the driver was very quiet and only spoke when we arrived and when he wanted the money. Hermione says that's pretty typical for cab drivers to do, but I wish they were nicer you know? When we enter Hermione's house, the first thing I notice is the smell. It smells a bit like mint, it might have to do with the season, but it might also have something to do with their dentist jobs. I hear that they use lots of minty stuff there, or so Hermione tells me. The rooms are partially decorated, probably due to Mrs. Granger having to leave in such a hurry. But from what it looks like, they are a pretty festive family.

"My rooms just up the stairs and to the right, I gotta go grab something from my other bag I left in the living room." She says in a whisper although no one else in home, besides Crookshanks of course.

"Okay, I will meet you up there" I say in a whisper

When I reach the top of the stair I see photos of Hermione and her parents across the walls, I often wonder how life is as a single child. I guess I will have to ask Hermione sometime. When I go into Hermione's room, everything is immaculate. I mean what else could I expect? Everything is in its place, the pens on her desk, to the bed that is nicely made. On her desk a moving family photo with Hermione and her parent's right before she departed onto the Hogwarts express for the first time. It's the only magical item I can see. She must put everything else away, just in case some of her parent's friends come over. As I am examining her puzzle on her desk I hear a knock on the door. I turn and see Hermione with her coat off sporting a maroon turtleneck that fits her snugly.

"Getting a glimpse of the room there Ginny?" She says yawning halfway into her sentence. Then she walks over to the drawers and pulls out her pajamas. "You tired yet? I know I am"

"Yea a bit, where should I set up the bed?" I ask looking around the floor. There isn't much space.

"Oh it's late, if you want you can sleep with me in my bed for just tonight, then we can set you up proper tomorrow. Is that okay?" She says, somewhat nervously.

"Yea that sounds great, is it alright if I get changed in here? I don't think I can make it to the bathroom." I say blushing.

"Oh yea, as long as you are alright with me changing as well" She says back to me. I nod.

We turn our backs to each other and I change into the only pajamas my mother packed. Somehow she managed to pack the one pair that doesn't fit me. Fred and George thought it would be funny one day if they shrunk Ron's clothes, but my pajamas where in there as well. I guess it won't be all bad… Out of the corner of my eye I see Hermione changing in the mirror, and force my eyes off of it.

"You done yet?" I ask Hermione a couple moments later

"Yea you can turn around now" When I do, I see that Hermione has her back still turned to me, but I see she is wearing very short shorts and a tight t-shirt that shows off every curve. My eyes, start to guide themselves down to her lower areas when she turns around, and smiles.

"Oh I'm sorry, my Mum says our heater has been acting up, so it might get really warm tonight. You can take your jumper off if you want to" She says, now blushing.

"Yea I think I can feel it getting warmer already." I say, taking off my jumper to reveal my navy blue bra and panties. But now I realize that it might just be me that's heating up. Then after a few awkward moments, Hermione climbs into her bed and scooches all the way over to the side, making room for me. Her bed is larger than mine, but we still had to lay together with skin touching. I don't mind it one bit, Hermione's skin is so soft and smooth and we fit together so well, it is beyond comfortable.

"You comfy?" Hermione says to me, I can sense a nervousness in her voice.

"Yea, you?" I reply. She answers by nodding her head, a movement I can feel quite easily.

"I'm sorry you cat be with your Family tonight, Ginny" Hermione says, quietly.

"Don't worry about," I begin to say, hugging her close. "You needed a friend more than my family needed another Weasley"

"Thank you Ginny, tomorrows Christmas. Let's get a good night sleep" And with that, my Christmas Eve ended, and our Christmas Day began.

Authors Note: Hey so I was kinda iffy on this chapter, I might be sticking to Ginny's POV, it's easier to write, but I might have Hermione POV chapters in there once in a while. Reviews are always welcome, and let me know what you guys want. Thank you.

booyah111oak2 signing off


	10. Chapter 10

Smoke and Mirrors

~ Hermione's POV ~

Despite my Dad being in the hospital, I very much enjoyed myself last night. I love winter weather, for some reason the cold seems to make everything so much clearer. Or it might be just getting away from all the magic. Speaking of lack of magic, Ginny was sooo cute last night asking all those questions. And I definitely didn't mind answering them. In fact, I loved it. Even though it wasn't a "date" I couldn't help but feel that it was. Anyway that was last night, right now I just woke up from a glorious night of sleep, right next to the most beautiful girl in the whole world. I know it's cheesy but who cares.

All of a sudden, I find myself violently shaken awake. I sit up and see my mother opening the blinds, blinding me and making Ginny pull a pillow over her head.

"Come on girls!" She says, moving across the room to open the other set of blinds. "I didn't have time to go shopping yesterday, so we need to get what we need today"

"Mum, can't we wake up first? I still need to take a shower" She rolls her eyes.

"Oh please Hermione, who is going to see you?" She has got a point, "All of your friends are at Hogwarts and Ginny has probably seen you at your worst already, besides, we have to get there before the rush"?

"Fine. Can we at least get dressed?"

"Alright, I will be outside scraping the ice of the car"

After she leaves Ginny and I hurry to get dressed, but I still manage to get a glimpse of her athletic body, and I think I got away with it.

"So what is there to eat? I'm famished" Ginny says, while putting on her long socks.

"Um I don't think so… I guess we will grab something at the store, sorry I guess I didn't really think that through"

"That doesn't sound like you Hermione, you feeling okay?" Ginny asks me skeptically. Well to answer your question, I feel absolutely perfect whenever you are around Ginny, you just tear down my calculating persona. But instead of saying that, I reply,

"Yea, I guess with everything going on I just forgot" She nods and brushes her hair out. "Let's get going, my Mum is waiting"

"Sure, I can't wait to see the Muggle stores" She says, "You go on ahead, I have to visit the washroom first"

I am reluctant to leave, but I eventually do and as I leave, I see Ginny looking through her bag but I decided to move along. Grabbing my overcoat on my way out, I walk out of the house and into the frigid air. Snow fell last night, leaving a thick layer of snow and making everything looking pristine and perfect. As I make my way to the car, I see Mum scraping the ice of the gray car.

"You need any help Mum?" I ask and she looks up from her furious scraping.

"No dear, the only thing I need from you is getting you and Ginny into the car" I nod and get into the car. A few moments later, my Mum gets in, starts the car and rushes to turn the heat on.

"Where is Ginny?" She asks me, turning on the defroster.

"She had to use the bathroom, she should be out soon" As soon as I say it I hear the front door close and Ginny walks briskly towards the car. She is wearing a greenish overcoat with a maroon scarf and a gray beanie covering her red hair. The image of her in the snowy scenery is something you would see on a postcard. I am almost too distracted to notice that she is almost to the car door, and I am still staring. I quickly avert my eyes to my hands where I am rubbing them together to create warmth. As soon as she gets in the car, my Mum speeds off down the street.

When we arrive at the store my Mum wastes no time parking and rushing out of the car, and something tells us that we should as well. While walking through the parking lot we avoid almost getting run over and brave our way across several icy spots before we reach the insane mob that is the supermarket. As soon as we enter I realize why Mother wanted to come so soon, because all the carts are gone, the lines were packed full, and people were yelling and pushing. Mum re-adjusts her purse and cracks her knuckles, before telling us, "Okay, All I need you to do is grab some whipped cream and the cranberry sauce. I have got the rest" and with that she rushes off into the crowd.

Ginny and I both look at one another, then Ginny raises her eyebrows and waves me on, "Well? After you"

"That's right, it's your first time in a muggle store, just follow my lead and please don't say anything too embarrassing in front of me" I grin as I say it, and Ginny smiles cheerfully back. Then we head off to the dairy section where people are grabbing the stuff off the shelves and workers re stocking the shelves behind the scenes. Making our way through the hordes of people, we finally reach the dairy section and as expected, there is little left but the low-fat goat cheese is still fully stocked. At last I see the bottles of whipped cream and Ginny spots too and uses her Quidditch reflexes to quickly snatch the bottle all the while dodging and weaving her way through the people. Next thing I know she is back beside me holding the bottle with pride, "Pretty quick huh? Just wait till Quidditch season starts up again, Gryffindor will be unstoppable"

I laugh a bit, "Yea I know you are fantastic, but even you can't hold up the entire team"

"Oh please, Harry is still on the team, but he is about it" She says, blushing from my compliment. She clears her throat. "So where is the cranberry sauce at?"

"Follow me Ginny dear" And when I said the last part, it felt right and Ginny just smiled. Again we made our way through the crowds to the canned food aisle which again had been stripped of all of the name brand items. This time we weren't so lucky because we checked all the labels and of course they are all out.

"Great, where are we going to find cranberry sauce on Christmas day?" I say loudly, but it doesn't matter because people are yelling stuff like that all over the store. Ginny just shrugs. Then a boy our age comes up to Ginny whistling.

"Oh my, aren't you a Christmas miracle!" He says looking her up and down, while Ginny just raises her eyebrows. "You looking for a date this Christmas?"

"Hmmmm, Let me think…" She puts a pondering look on her face, "No thanks, you aren't my type"

His smile fades, he obviously wasn't expecting that, but I can't help but smile the whole time. "What do you mean I'm not your type? You know any girl would be glad to have me"

"Well not me, so move along" Ginny says confidently shooing him away. He just shakes his head and walks off shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Wow, you get all the guys don't you Ginny?" She smiles.

"Oh please, Mione, don't sell yourself short you are gorgeous" As soon as she said it she started to blush and so did I. Luckily my mother came just in time to spare us from the awkwardness.

"Alright girls, did you get the stuff?" My Mum asks us, out of breath and carrying a basket full of food.

"We got the Whipped cream but all of the cranberry sauce was gone, sorry" I say holding up the bottle.

"Well at least we have that, nobody really ate the cranberry sauce anyway"

Back at the house, Mum began immediately on the cooking. She put us to work real quick as well, she put Ginny on the easier stuff, like measuring ingredients. Because I have experience in the kitchen, Mum put me on the finer things, how to dress the food and such. After a couple hours there was nothing to do but wait for the food to be out of the oven.

"Why don't you girls go hang out, I probably won't need your help until everything is done cooking. Go on, shoo" She says as she is cleaning up the kitchen.

"You wanna build a snow man outside? The snow is still fresh" I ask Ginny as we exit the kitchen. She starts to smile and I feel warm all over.

"Beat you outside?" She says, I can see her athletic body beginning to tense up. I follow suite.

"You're on!", and with that we bolt to the coat rack. Naturally Ginny is faster than me, but I know my house, the shortest way, when to turn, and when to slow down. But that doesn't mean a damn thing with her quick reflexes. I am easily outmatched and by the time I am getting my boots on she is already out the door. I decide to finish tying my shoes later and follow quickly after her. As I leave the house and enter the cold, I see Ginny standing in the snow with her hands on her hips laughing. I can't help but smile but I knew something was bad was going to happen, because my carelessness of my untied shoe, I step on the lace and fall right into Ginny. Stupid Hermione, stupid. The force of my body at full speed knocks her over and I end up right into her arms laying in the snow. While the both of us laughing, I open my eyes and I end up staring right into her beautiful hazel orbs. We stop laughing and watch one another. Then realizing how awkward this is, I roll off of her and end laying right beside her, staring up into the clear night sky that dazzles with a myriad of stars. Even though its 4 o'clock the sun has already set.

"Have I said Merry Christmas to you yet?" She says to me still looking up at the stars. Then I realize I haven't either.

"I don't believe so, it's been such a crazy day. So without further delay, Merry Christmas Ginny!" Then I turn to look at her and she does the same. Once more I gaze into her hazel eyes and think how merry indeed this Christmas is.

"Merry Christmas to you too Mione" And I see a spark, a glimmer in her eye as she says it. Then suddenly she shakes it. "So how about that snowman?"

"Where do you wanna build it?" I ask, getting up and careful to keep my voice steady. She looks around for a moment then points to an area in the middle of the lawn.

"Why not over there? It's perfect because you can see it from inside the house as well"

"You're right, it's perfect. And it's equidistant from the snow so we don't have to move the snow that far" Ginny rolls her eyes but smiles as well.

"Way to make building a snowman mathematical Hermione" She says chuckling a bit.

"Just shut up and build Ginny" I say laughing as well. As she begins rolling up the bottom ball she begins to ask,

"Hey, so what is going to happen between Ron and You? I mean, I know you aren't looking for a romantic thing, but Ron was pretty icy to you lately" And you know, being here with Ginny has erased all thoughts of Ron, but not the romantic feeling.

"Well you are right in that I am not looking for a romantic relationship with Ron, not even close, but I think we will be okay I mean it's not like Ron to hold a grudge, right" She shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't know, I think if you just carry on like nothing happened, everything will go back to normal" She says, finishing rolling her ball. "Hey you going to help or just stand there sitting pretty?"

I can feel myself blushing. "Okay okay, I'm going to get some sticks for the arms and some rocks for the buttons"

"Oh and leave me with all the hard work?" She says, starting to roll up the second ball.

"Hey, you are the athlete, not me okay?" I reply defensively while picking up medium sized stones and sticks.

"Point taken, but you know the best way to build a snowman, like measurements and stuff" She says, pushing the second ball around in the fresh snow.

"Point taken as well, Ginny, now let's just get this done okay?" As we continue to build the snowman, my Mum rushes out of the house with her purse on her shoulder and the keys in her hand.

"Hey girls, having fun? I'm going to pick up Dad at the hospital, we should be back in half an hour" We wave good-bye and then we are back alone out in the snow. After the third ball was done and stacked on top, I stuck the sticks into the body, while Ginny tried to make the stones stick into the densely packed snow.

"Hey he's missing a nose," She points out, tilting her head to match the crooked stature of the figure.

"Great, now he looks just like He Who Must Not Be Named" I said, I didn't mean it but I sounded kind of distant.

"Wow that's kind of morbid" Ginny says lightheartedly, but when my expression doesn't change, she becomes more serious. "Hey, are you really that worried about him?"

I snap out of the trance. "I'm just worried about Harry, it's too much responsibility and danger for a teenager to ever go through"

"I agree, but it's our fight now and the only thing we can do is stand beside Harry because Merlin knows that he needs us as much as we need him" She says confidently, and it reminds me again why the hat chose her to be Gryffindor. She is so brave and confident and not afraid to do what is right.

"You're right, we need to let them know we aren't afraid of him" We glance back to the snowman without a nose. "I think we should keep it the way it is. We aren't afraid, not anymore"

"You wanna head inside?" Ginny says, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Sure, we can get some hot chocolate going too" I say, brushing off the excess snow from my body and gloves, but as we go to open the door, it won't open. I jiggle the knob again, but the door doesn't open. I look at Ginny, and she looks like she is about to burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" I ask quizzically. She just shakes her head.

"Oh nothing, it's just our luck though"

"Yea no kidding" I say, looking around the neighborhood. The sky is completely black now, the stars are even brighter too. "You wanna sit down?"

"Sure, beats standing up the whole time" Ginny says as she scrapes off the snow from the steps and begins to sit down. I sit down next to her and rub my hands together, warming myself against the cold. I slowly inch toward Ginny, to keep warm of course. When I finally brush up against her she doesn't react. Instead she just looks up into the sky and as she breathes I can see the wisps of breath from her lips fading into the night sky.

"It sure is cold isn't it?" She asks me, still looking at the sky.

"Definitely, you mind if I lean up to you? You know, to keep warm?" She nods and I lean up right into her side. At first her body feels tense, then slowly she relaxes and seems to melt into me. I'm not sure how long we sat there, just watching the stars, but however long it was I wish I had my time-turner so I can relive it all over again. Before long the sound of Mums car emerges from the silence and soon after the headlights comes into view. As we get up, Ginny intentionally brushes my butt with her hand and I swivel around to face her.

Her cheeks turn from rosy to beet red, and she stammers, "Y-You had some snow on you, I was just brushing it off"

I smile warmly at her and say, "Thanks Gin, you want me to get you?" Her expression turns to surprise.

"Oh sure, fair is fair I guess" Then she turns around, her backside facing me. There is barely any snow to brush off but I do it anyway, you know, not to be awkward (shut up). When Mum approaches pushing Dad in his wheelchair, we both straighten up and I run to hug him.

"Dad! Are you alright?" I say to him as I hug him, squeezing him tight.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, don't squeeze too much, I am still recovering Hermione," He says, out of breath. "Hey what are you girls doing out in the cold?"

"Oh we got locked out when we were building a snowman, its fine, Ginny and I weren't that cold"

"Oh I'm so sorry darlings, I didn't realize you didn't have a key with you" Mum says, fumbling around for the keys in her purse. When she finally opens the door, the smell of the Christmas ham blasted our nostrils and the warm light shone all across the lawn.

After we all got settled in, and Ginny and I set the table, we all sat down at the table ready to begin our feast. Pleasantries were exchanged, but we were so hungry that all we cared about was getting the food that was on the table into our stomachs. About halfway through dinner, Dad started to yawn, I guess all the medication he is on makes him tired. When Mum helped him up the stairs, I guess she wanted to keep him company, because she told us to go ahead and open our presents without her. After cleaning up the table and kitchen, Ginny and I sat down on the couch near the Christmas tree. A fire is crackling in the fireplace in front of us.

"Wow, the Granger family sure knows how to cook" Ginny says, curling up on the couch.

"Well don't forget, you helped too" I say, trying to return the compliment. She rolls her eyes.

"You can't take a compliment can you?"

"It's not like you can either, Gin"

"Point taken again" She says, turning to look into the crackling fire, the flames reflecting in her hazel eyes.

"So you wanna open presents?" I ask her, looking at the small pile beneath the Christmas tree. She tenses up and nods.

"Sure, although lots of mine are at home, you still have some here, go on ahead" She says. Following my orders, I grab the biggest gift that was addressed to me. It's from Mum and Dad. As I open it, I begin to know exactly what it is. A dark brown book bag with designs pressed into the leather, and held together with dark gold buckles and rivets. I don't know how Mum and Dad knew but it's amazing.

"Hey it's the bag you wanted!" Ginny says, smiling.

"I know! This must've cost a fortune" I say, still mesmerized by its craftsmanship.

"Well I guess now is as best time as any" Ginny says, pulling out a flat box, about 5 centimeters in width and 10 centimeters in length. I look at Ginny and she just has an anxious look on her face. She notices me staring and then nods furiously to let me know to open it. I look back down at it. I slowly open it and then I am looking at white tissue paper covering something emitting light. I carefully remove the tissue and see a silver necklace with a heart shaped crystal as its main centerpiece. Around the heart was a band of silver with the Latin words engraved in it,

 _Quemadmodum hic amor, et apparebit Patronus_

"Just as my love were here, their Patronus shall appear", the words came easy because of Hogwarts, but that doesn't mean the words were any less surprising. Moments after I read it a Patronus of a horse appears inside the crystal. I look up slowly, and Ginny's expression matches my own, then tears start to form in her eyes. Without warning my body lunges forward and my lips connect with hers, she leans back and pulls me in close, until I am laying on top of her, still connected to her lips. When I finally pull away, I look into her eyes and see something I haven't seen in a while. A bright and hopeful future.

"I love you Hermione" She says, gazing into my eyes. Then I brush a stray hair from her face, so to get a perfect view.

"And I love you Ginny"

Authors Note: Soooo I kinda ended this chapter in a way that the story could end right here, but if you guys want to see more of this story I could work on it more, just realize I am terrible at being consistent so yea. Reviews are super helpful, and any advice or suggestions are considered and appreciated. Thank you.


	11. Chapter 11

Smoke and Mirrors: Chapter 11

Ginny's POV

 _Flashback: Christmas Day_

 _As Hermione opens my gift, my heart begins to race erratically. After she lifted the lid, she paused when she sees the white tissue paper. She looks up and it took me awhile to register but after I realize she is staring I begin to nod my head fast, signaling her to continue. When she lifts off the paper, I can see the glow of the crystal reflected in her eyes. When she lifts in up, I can see the silver necklace that took so long to make. The crystal was in a wizard antique shop in Hogsmeade and it was worth every galleon I spent. The chain I had custom made from a family friend and the engraving what something that they did as well. As she holds it in her hand, I see my Patronus, a horse, appear in the crystal heart. My heart skips a beat at the realization, she loves me. All this time, she had been holding it back as well. I feel tears well up in my eyes and when she looks up I see the same expression on her face as well. Suddenly, she rushes forward, pushing her lips against mine. My mind explodes from the feeling of love, passion, and excitement that overflow from the kiss and I lean back pulling Hermione down with me. The kiss lasts for what seems like a blissful eternity, before she pulled back to look at me with her beautiful, flawless face. When I speak, the words I had longed to say roll off of my tongue effortlessly,_

" _I love you Hermione" She smiles and brushes a hair from my face._

" _And I love you Ginny"_

A few weeks later….

The snow over Hogwarts still hasn't melted, and I doubt it will soon, people have been saying that it will be the harshest winter yet. As I stare out the window of Gryffindor tower, the snow is still falling heavily and piling outside the window. I turn my attention away from the window, and look around the dorm. The beds are somewhat made, all except for mine which is a mess, with clothes strewn about. I hop off the window bench and reach into a drawer where I keep my valuables and pullout a bundle of cloth. I unwrap it and a familiar glow emits from the cloth. I put the Crystal Heart in my hand and I see the Patronus of an otter, running around the little space. I feel a certain joy when I see it, and I feel the love I have for Hermione begin to pour out of my heart, making the crystal glow even brighter. Then I hear footsteps approaching the door and I quickly wrap up the necklace and hide it into my cardigan. The door opens and I sigh in relief.

"Hiya Ginny, what are you up do?" My love's voice asks me, as she takes off her robe and hangs it up.

"Oh just taking in the view, the snow keeps getting prettier don't you think?" I ask turning my view back to the window.

"Oh right you are Ginny," She says walking behind me then resting her chin on my shoulder. "You up for walk around the grounds?"

"Sure, let me just get ready," I say, kissing her lightly on the cheek. She laughs a bit, then lifts her head and starts to clean up the room. As I begin to get ready I hear her scoff.

"Honestly Ginny, how can you stand this mess?" She says, putting away some socks that were lying on the bed.

"Oh come on Hermione, it's just a few things" I say, pulling a pair of Gryffindor knee socks up my leg.

"Oh just a few things? And I suppose that Hogwarts is just a school as well?" She says, flabbergasted. All I can do is laugh. "Oh and where is my necklace? I can't stand not wearing it"

"Well why should I give it to you? Maybe don't want to" I say playfully. Hermione raises one eyebrow.

"Oh, is that so?" She says, approaching me seductively. She comes right up to me and pushes me down so that I am sitting on the bed. Then she sits on my lap and cups my face in her hands. "What can I do to get it?"

"Mmmm, I think a kiss would do, but make it a good one" I say without breaking eye contact.

"Well then, I won't disappoint" She says, growing quieter as she gets close to my face. When she makes contact, I instantly grab her and in one fluid motion she is laying on the bed and I am on top of her. She gives a little yelp in surprise, obviously not expecting it.

"Caught you off guard did I?" I ask with a flirtatious tone.

"Usually I don't like surprises, but any surprise from you is welcome" I smirk and lean down to kiss her beautiful lips all the while wishing it could last forever. We disconnect and when she exhales, her breath smells like mint and her eyes are wide with astonishment and pleasure.

"Wow," She says, breathlessly "Remind me to return the favor"

Before I can reply, I hear the sound of footsteps outside of the door again. Hermione hears it too because we instantly leap off of each other, and I pounce on my own bed in seconds. Hermione resumes her cleaning as if nothing had happened. When the door finally opens we see our dorm mate, Rachel, walks in and sits on her own bed.

"Hey Rachel, how's it going?" Hermione asks absent-mindedly as she sweeps the floor.

"Fine, I have lots of work for potions though, so please no distractions" She says, without looking up.

"That's okay, Hermione and I were going out anyway," I say, putting on my coat and wrapping my maroon and gold scarf around my neck. "I guess we will see you later"

"That's fine by me," She says coldly. Hermione and I just look at each other and walk out the room without saying a word.

 _Flashback: One week earlier_

" _So do we tell anybody?" Hermione asks me onboard the Hogwarts Express. We have chosen an empty box for privacy, luckily not many went away for the holidays._

" _Well my Mum kind of already knows…" I say, fiddling with my scarf strings. Hermione's face is confused._

" _Wait," She says trying to get a grasp on it. "What do you mean? I thought you didn't tell anyone"_

" _Technically I didn't tell anybody," I say carefully, "She kind of found out on her own, she is my mother after all"_

" _True, but should we tell anybody else, I mean what about Ron and Harry?" Hermione asks._

" _Well, personally, I don't think that would be a smart decision, since Ron might like you still"_

" _Oh yea, I guess drama in the Weasley family isn't what you need, huh?" I put my hand over hers._

" _I am okay with anything you decide, whatever makes you happy is enough for me" I say smiling at her._

" _Honestly, I just don't know how everybody would react. I can only imagine what Malfoy would say though" She says, exasperated at the thought of the annoying Slytherin._

" _So should we be secret about it then?" If I know Hermione, and I do, then she wouldn't do anything risky without knowing the consequences._

" _Yes, until we know who can keep it a secret and also would freak out about it" She says confidently._

" _It won't be easy, especially since you can't keep your hands off of me," I say slyly, and Hermione is about to refute, but then stays quiet. She knows it's true. "But at least we dorm together"_

Present day

As we walk through the grounds, we avoid walking too close to one another, just in case we are spotted. It's unlikely because it's below freezing, but there are people crazy enough, evidence being Hermione and I, that would enjoy a walk in the snow. Soon we find ourselves on the outskirts, barely within the Hogwarts grounds. I turn around and see the warm glow of the Hogwarts towers and spires, then I remember something.

"Hey, Mione" I say and she turns to face me.

"Yea what is it?" I dig into my cardigan, trying to get past the layers on cloth. I finally reach what I need and pull it out.

"I forgot to give you this back in the dorm" I say handing the bundle of cloth to her. Her eyes light up and immediately she unravels the cloth and looks to me.

"Would you help me put it on? I hate not being able to wear it around the school, but who else other than you has a horse Patronus?" She says, as I clasp the necklace around her neck.

"Well there is that Hufflepuff boy, but everybody knows you don't like him" I say, brushing some snow off of her head.

"Thanks Ginny, and yea no _way_ I would ever like him" We resume walking again, just enjoying each other's company, and appreciating the snowy silence. As we walk along the border of the Forbidden Forest, we come across a small area with a single tree and a bench covered with snow. Hermione brushes off the snow from the bench and I help as well. The snow has begun falling rapidly and the air has grown considerably colder as well. Once the bench has been cleared of all the snow, Hermione sits down and gestures for me to sit down as well. This time, there is no hesitation before we lean into one another, and soon my head is resting on her shoulder, and our hands are linked in our laps. Besides the moon, the only light around us is coming from Hermione's necklace, which is glowing ever so brightly.

"You ever think what will happen after Hogwarts?" I ask. The reason is because when it's my turn to leave Hogwarts for good, she will have been out for a year already, and I don't want to be away from her for so long.

"Yes, I have," Hermione replies thoughtfully, "I have heard that some Wizards and Witches have stayed at Hogwarts for an extra year, depending on what they intend to do after, I have been thinking of signing up"

"Really?! That's great, but I don't want you to delay your life because of me" I say, trying to contain my happiness.

"Oh who said I was staying for you?" She says playfully, in return I lightly punch her in the arm. "In all seriousness though, I wouldn't be delaying anything, and why shouldn't I be with my love if I can help it?"

"You really do say the sweetest things Hermione," I say kissing her on her red nose. "And that's why I love you"

Once more, we just sit watching the beautiful snow as it falls, erasing our footsteps with its white blanket. Since we are older students here, the prefects are usually more lenient on our curfew and we won't have to worry about being late or anything. Although no one suspects anything, being out for lengthy amounts of time is unwise, and we usually keep our walks down to an hour or less. Though that won't be a problem soon, because Quidditch practice is going to resume once more and my free time is going to severely cut. On the bright side, the more I need to study, the more I can be with Hermione. Our silence is cut short when a quiet and gentle voice speaks out to us from the canopy of the tree.

"I'm not bothering you am I?" The invisible voice says, Hermione and I quickly detach from each other and stand up to try and see who is speaking. Then someone falls down out of the tree with a thud. Hermione looks at me with concern and shock, I can only assume I give the same expression. As the figure gets up, we can see that they have long blonde hair and wears a Ravenclaw crest. Combine the gentle voice with those two and it doesn't take much to realize it is Luna Lovegood.

"Luna?" Hermione says with a mixture of concern and curiosity. Luna gets up and brushes off branches and snow, while smiling gleefully. "Are you alright?"

"Oh I'm fine, I should've known that the branches were icy but it's the only time when you can catch Moon Frogs" She says looking back up at the tree.

"What are Moon Frogs?" I ask, forgetting all about how she saw Hermione and me cuddling.

"Moon frogs come from the moon and they are really active during nights when the moon is brightest, just like tonight?" She says, in a matter-of-fact tone, one that Hermione used and still uses to this day.

"Oh well good luck," Hermione says delicately, "And Luna, did you by any chance see anything?"

"No, unfortunately, they really are fantastic animals though" Luna says disappointed. Hermione exhales in frustration, Luna can misread a question a lot. Luna can interpret that right though. She can read emotions really well. "Oh you meant if I saw you and Ginny cuddling and kissing? I did"

"Please, we would really appreciate it if you would keep it a secret" I say, practically begging Luna, She turns to me with surprise.

"Why would you want to keep it a secret? You two are adorable" She says with a certain sense of curiosity.

"Well, we don't know how people would react to us…. Together" I say carefully.

"Well they can't treat you any worse that they treat me, you two are too likable" Even though what she said was terrible, she didn't show any sign of sadness. Before we can speak, she says "But if you really want it a secret, I won't say a word"

"Thank you so much Luna, you don't know how much that means to us!" Hermione says graciously. Luna smiles and then has a look as if she just remembered something important.

"I would love to chat, but I have some more Fantastic Beasts to catch, I will see you two around" And with that, she skips her way into the snowy flurry. Hermione looks to me cautiously,

"Do you trust her with a secret like this?" She asks, she is trying to cover all her bases, I love how prepared she is.

"Luna? Please, I don't think she would go against her word, plus it doesn't seem like breaking news to her anyway" I say, trying to convince Hermione that everything would be okay.

"Okay, but it's your fault if this gets out" She says jokingly. "But we need to be more careful, what if it were someone other than Luna?"

"Then we would deal with it, together" I say confidently, and my tone seems to calm Hermione.

"Have I told you that I love you?"

The rest of the night was without surprises thankfully. After we settle back into the dorm, Hermione falls asleep pretty fast, but me not so much. I can't help but thinking about how Luna reacted to our relationship, calm and happy for us. I wish the rest of Hogwarts and the Wizarding community would be the same way, but I guess that's what makes Luna special. In case you are wondering, no I don't and never did like Luna romantically, I guess what it comes down to is she isn't Hermione. Another thing I couldn't ignore was how Harry was going to react. Of course I have noticed how he has taken interest in me, but I really just like him as a friend, he is practically a brother to me. Anyway, it took me about an hour to fall asleep and most of the time I just stared up at the bedpost or toward the faint glow of Hermione's necklace. I doubt Rachel would care enough to notice.

"Ginny! Wake up!" I hear Hermione's voice yell into my ear. "Come on, you are going to miss class!"

"Hermione, what could possibly be so important that you had to wake me?" I say as I sit up on the bed yawning.

"Well besides class? Nothing" It sounds so much like Hermione. "I just don't want you to be late, you remember what happened last time you were late to Flitwicks?"

"Oh please, he probably forgot by now" I respond as I put on my robes matching Hermione exactly.

"Not likely, it doesn't matter now because you are never going to be late again" She says as she neatly folds her pajamas and puts them in her drawer. Me on the other hand, I just toss them back onto my bed, to which Hermione just rolls her eyes.

"I don't have the time to lecture you" She says coming up to me, "But I do have time for this"

And with that she lightly kisses me and rushes out of the room. Right after she leaves I realize that she had not taken off her necklace. I immediately sprint to the door and open it but when I look out, Hermione was already gone. Okay Ginny, its one day right? I doubt anyone will see it, it's tucked into her shirt, plus the Latin words were really small no one could read them. Right?

Authors Note: I know what I said but this chapter came really easy to me and I enjoyed writing it. I guess I will have to see what comes of it.


	12. Chapter 12

Smoke and Mirrors 12

Hermione's POV

Right as I leave the Gryffindor Common room, I realize I hadn't taken off the necklace. I doubt anyone will notice, and long as I keep it inside my shirt no one will be able to see it glowing. I know it's not like me to take risks, but ever since I have starting being with Ginny I have begun loosening up. The thoughts of my future with Ginny occupy my mind all day until it's time for Quidditch practice. It's not unusual for me to attend the practices because both Harry and Ron are players too, but I would be unusual if I were to focus on Ginny more than the others. So I cheer on all of them, even if I do watch Ginny more, the Quidditch pitch is packed today because Hufflepuff and Slytherin are both doing drills as well. As I lean on the wood railing, the shuffling behind me turns into a scuffle. I turn and see a hefty Hufflepuff boy and a lanky Slytherin fighting about something, I really don't care what it is. I turn back to the players and suddenly I am knocked forward, pushing me over the railing and down onto the pitch. The first thing I realize is that it's hard to breath. Obviously falling a story or two would knock the wind out of you but that was really something. I then feel a sharp pain in my leg, I may have broken it. The first to come to my aid is Harry, he kneels down next to me with a concerned look on his face.

"Hermione! Are you alright?" He asks setting down his broom stick.

"It hurts badly, I think I broke something" I say, wincing as a new wave of agony shoots up my leg. He examines my leg and when he looks up to me, his eyes stop at my chest, and a perplexing look crosses his face. I look down and realize my necklace has slipped out of my shirt and is shining as brightly as ever. I quickly shove it back in and he looks at me and I mouth the words, 'I will explain later'

"Someone escort Ms. Granger to the Hospital Wing" Madam Hooch says, and Ginny immediately volunteers, making Harry look up in shock and realization of the connection he just made. The pain is now dulled with the fear of what Harry would do and how I could possibly explain what he just saw and gathered. As Ginny escorts me away she gives me a concerning look.

"Are you okay? How bad is it?" She says looking me up and down, probably making sure that I didn't have any cuts or anything. She can tell I'm silent for another reason though. "What? Did something happen?"

"No," I say quickly, "I guess I just underestimated how bad it feels to break something"

"Yea?" She says with a little chuckle, "Welcome to Quidditch"

Ginny couldn't stay with me in the Hospital Wing, but she did stay for about half an hour before she had to go. Something about needing to make something up from Herbology. I sit in the hospital bed, dreading when Harry would come walking through those doors. After an hour of waiting, Madam Pomfrey inspected my leg and told me that I was all set to go. The magic still astounds me to this day. I remember a friend when I was 6 that when she broke her leg it took months to fully heal, but mine was fixed within an hour. I get ready to leave the Hospital Wing and as I exit the room, I see Harry standing outside, waiting for me. His expression is full of different emotions, confusion, hurt, concern, and sadness.

"Can we talk?" He says plainly. I nod and we turn and walk down the stairs.

"What did you see?" I ask quietly as we continue down the stairs and out into the courtyard.

"I saw the Horse Patronus, and I know enough Latin to know what was written" He says, with a certain level of sadness. "So does Ginny know?"

"Yes," I say, "We are sort of together…"

The words that once seemed to be happy to me, obviously weren't for Harry. All he does is nod.

"So how long did you know you were a…" His voice trails off as if he wasn't sure.

"A lesbian?" I ask, and he nods "Well I think it was after my fourth year, after Viktor"

"I see," I stop and turn to him.

"Harry, please don't say anything to Ron, I don't want him mad at us" I can see some of his sadness shedding off.

"I won't, but you are going to have to tell him eventually" He says, looking me into the eyes.

"I know, God I know. I just don't want our friendship to be hurt you know?"

"Hermione, all I want is you and Ginny to be happy, and if that means you guys together, then I am all for it" I can't help but hug him with all my might.

"Thank you Harry, you don't know how much that means to me!" As we embrace, he says into my ear.

"Of course it's going to take time to adjust, I never thought of you two together before"

"Oh I'm sure only Ginny and I have, but Luna thought we were cute together," I say as we let each other go. He looks confused.

"Luna knows? I didn't know anyone else knew"

"Oh well she kinda caught us when we were taking our walk last night and we were cuddling on a bench to keep warm" I say, and just nods again. Honestly I wish Harry would talk more, he definitely isn't good at showing his emotions toward things. "You know Luna is a really sweet girl Harry"

"Oh, yea I guess… Well I better let you go, and um," Clearly uncomfortable, he stops and clears his throat, "I am always here if you guys need to talk about… stuff"

That's really sweet Harry, and we definitely will, Thanks again!" And with that we go our separate ways, Harry to the Great Hall, and me to the greenhouse to visit Ginny.

I don't like the greenhouses. It's almost the exact opposite of the Library, which I love. The greenhouse is hot and stuffy, and smells like dirt. It also has things that can kill you if you aren't careful. The Library on the other hand is cool and smells like books, which is a lovely smell. And the only injury you can get is a paper cut or if you end up in the restricted section, a lost limb. Anyway, I search the greenhouses and eventually I find Ginny talking with Professor Sprout. When I reach them Professor Sprout leaves and Ginny turns to me and smiles.

"Hey you! I'm glad you are back up on your feet" She says grinning. I flick a speck of dirt off of her nose.

"Looks like you did some work alright" I say, laughing a bit.

"Yea, that's what I get for disrupting class I guess" She says scratching the back of her head, releasing a whole bunch of dust.

"Well let's get you in the shower, you are a mess!" I say, taking a step back. And fanning the air around her. She looks down at her robes and tries to brush off the dirt.

"Oh come on, let's eat first, then I will take a shower. I'm starving!" I shake my head.

"There is no way I am letting you anywhere near my food. We are taking a shower" Ginny perks up a bit.

"We?" I smile and nod silently. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Ginny wastes no time gathering her things and rushing off to the showers. We decide to use the Prefects bathroom because it's a little fancier and has a really nice Bath area as well. Its dinnertime so there no Prefects in the bathroom because they are too busy overseeing the Great Hall and surrounding areas. Once we make sure we are alone, we begin to strip down to our undergarments and stop.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look in those?" Ginny asks as she looks onto me in my maroon bra and panties.

"Me? What about you? Your body is that of a goddess, if there could be one so beautiful" I reply back, staring at her beautifully toned body. Her breasts fit her body just right, and her figure has curves like no other.

"You were always better with words" She says, shaking her head.

"Let's agree that we both look beautiful to each other" I offer.

"I can agree to that"

And with that we continue to take off our undergarments and toss them aside. Ginny can't stop staring at my breasts as we undress so I offer,

"You wanna touch them?" She immediately looks me in the eyes.

"Really? I've never done it before" She says nervously. I laugh a bit.

"Well neither have I Ginny, nor I would want anyone else but you to touch them. Go ahead" She slowly walks toward me and pauses with her hands centimeters from my breasts. She looks up and I nod for her to continue. Her hands are surprisingly warm to the touch as she lays her hands on me, carefully caressing and cupping them. Never have I ever imagined this or thought it to be a possibility. I then lift her face up to my own and gently kiss her soft lips. She kisses back and then removes her hands and takes my own to move them to her soft breasts. Hers are a little smaller than mine, but just as soft and perky. I imagine my hands were cold because when I make contact she shudders a little and then relaxes a bit. When we finally break our kiss I open my eyes to see Ginny's Hazel eyes staring right back at me.

"You wanna slip into the bath?" I whisper in her ear silently, as she begins to massage my breasts again. She nods and then I pull away, stepping into the bath, holding Ginny's hand and inviting her to join me. Silently, she steps into the water and begins to kiss me again. We probably would have stayed standing for hours if I hadn't slipped and fell into the water. The next thing I know I'm sitting on the bath floor, the water up to the middle of my chest, and the bubbles up to my neck, I know I should be embarrassed but when I am with Ginny I feel perfectly comfortable and soon we are both laughing it off. I begin to get up and Ginny shakes her finger in my face.

"No, don't get up" She says seductively as she lowers herself to my level, getting right up close to my face. "I wanna get in the water as well"

"Okay, what are you planning?" I ask curiously, our lips almost touching. She then lowers her voice down to a whisper.

"What do you want?" I pause, taking in the moment, then I gently lay my lips onto hers, then, silently and slowly, she slips into my arms nothing separating us, no clothing, no social boundaries, no nothing. The warm water mixed with her slender body, makes a feeling of which I have never felt before. Moments pass and I can hear her ask quietly, her voice quivering and nervous, "Do you wanna go all the way?"

"Not yet, I don't want our relationship built on that" I say back at her. She seems relieved.

"Good, I don't think I'm ready for that, not yet" She says, her voice back to normal. "You want me wash you off?"

"Oh Ginny I think you are the one that needs the washing" I say incredulously, and she rolls her eyes. "Can I scrub you off?"

She smiles and nods. I reach out and grab the soap and I motion Ginny to stand up and she does. Then rubbing my hands together I create loads of bubbles and begin to scrub her down starting at her shoulders. After that I spend a lot of time rubbing her breasts over and over, with each stroke making then softer. After I think her breasts are clean enough, I move on to her stomach and back area, massaging her back and rubbing her abs. When I roll over her abdomen, I can easily feel the firmness and strength of her muscles. I get a fresh batch of bubbles and begin again on her hips and stop when I come to her lower areas. I examine her vagina, pristine and flawless. There is a little patch of red hair above her clit, neatly trimmed and as bright as her hair. She looks down at me wondering why I had stopped, but I am too mesmerized by what I am seeing.

"God Ginny, you _really_ have no idea how beautiful you are" I say, slowly looking back up to her, She just smiles and blushes.

"You can touch down there, I just didn't want us to have, you know, full blown sex" She says, laughing a bit.

"Okay, I was just making sure, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable" I say back, then I begin washing her pubic hair, making it nice and soapy before rinsing it with a shower of water. Then I gently rub her clit, the soap lubing it up pretty good. When I hear her beginning to moan, I know I have to stop or else it will be sex. I finish washing the rest of her vagina and rinse it down, the warm water made her moan a little more. Then I motion for her to turn around and she does, placing her round butt directly in my face.

"Hey don't forget my ass" She says playfully.

"Oh how could I forget?" I respond in a falsetto tone, rolling my eyes. She giggles. I then begin to scrub what could only be described as a perfect "bubble-butt". Firm and smooth, her butt is what I would consider to be one of the 7 wonders of the world. Again, I begin to get carried away as I am mesmerized by the addicting sensation of rubbing and massaging her ass. I snap back to reality and command,

"Sit down on the ledge so I can wash your legs"

"Yes Ma'am" She says with an energetic tone in her voice. She sits down on the ledge and resting one leg on the ledge and the other still in the water, her position has spread her legs pretty wide, exposing her vagina which shines in the candlelight. I try to ignore it and focus on washing her muscular thigh and calf, both of which are perfectly flawless. I finish washing the other leg, and then when I set it down she pulls me in and gives a very passionate kiss.

"That," She begins, looking me in the eyes, "Was the best bath I have _ever_ had"

"And next time, you can do me, but for now, we have to go, Dinnertime is gonna end soon and I have to eat!" I say, as I get out of the tub and reach for the towels. Ginny pulls me back.

"Hey let me dry you off at least?" She begs, with puppy dog eyes. I sigh and smile at her.

"Okay, but I expect it to be the best" I say, with a tone of false caution in my voice. Immediately Ginny leaps out of the tub and grabs one of the towels. Like me, she starts on my shoulders, and I begin to dry my hair, making the process go faster, because my hair is the thing that will take the longest. Then she dries my breasts, carefully going over them with the soft towel, careful not to rub too fast or too hard. She as well begins to get into it, but then moves on to dry my back and stomach area. When she reaches my own privates, she speaks.

"You know Hermione, you have a very beautiful clit as well, may I?" She asks looking me in the eyes.

"Of course Ginny," I respond, accepting her offer. She nods and then proceeds to dry me off, first my own patch of brown hair, then continues to rub my vaginal area. The sensation created by the back and forth motion causes me to moan involuntarily. Ginny raises her eyebrow and smiles, obviously proud of her accomplishment. I nod for her to continue, taking the cue, she begins to dry my butt softly and gently, then she does something unexpected. I feel a light kiss on my right ass cheek, when I turn and face her, I ask,

"What was that?" She just shrugs,

"Call it my seal of approval" She says laughing, causing me to laugh as well. "Okay enough messing around, get dressed so we can get some dinner yea?"

"What about you? You still haven't dried off yet" I ask, putting on my panties and bra.

"Oh, I'm fine, just get dressed," She says, as she dries herself off hurriedly. "That was fun though, we should do this more often"

"You can count on it, but we have to be careful on when we go," I say putting on my Hogwarts skirts and white button up shirt. "We should learn the schedules of the Prefects, because I love not being interrupted"

Ginny laughs, "Yea me too, I like my alone time with you"

When I look back at her, she is almost fully dressed, all except her robe which she will put on after fastening her red and gold tie.

"How are you so fast at getting dressed?" I ask in disbelief, staring at her as she puts on her robe to complete her outfit.

"Well when you live in a house of chaos, you learn to get ready fast" Ginny says, straightening out her robe and staring at me as I put on my charcoal sweater. "Come on, I'm hungry"

"Okay ,okay, let's go" I say walking toward the door with Ginny, still putting on my robe, making sure that my necklace is covered this time

Long story short, the Great Hall was closed and we didn't eat. Luckily, Ginny had a stash of candy under her dorm bed and fortunately, there was enough to share. I mean if I hadn't marveled at Ginny's private parts, we might have made it to dinner, but I mean come on, it was our first time, you can't rush that. Anyway, fresh and soft from our bath, we change into our pajamas and sit on our respective beds as Rachel gets ready to go somewhere.

"Where are you off to?" Ginny asks her as Rachel puts on her thick overcoat.

"Well it's none of your business, but if you must know, I am meeting Brian in the Library" Rachel and Brian have been having "study sessions" but we know they are dating. Brian is a Ravenclaw, and a smart one at that, I mean people call him Brian the Brain.

"Ooo sounds romantic" Ginny says teasingly. Rachel just scoffs.

"Oh shut up, besides when are _you_ going to get around to dating anybody?" Ginny pretends to think for a bit and I can't help but smile.

"Because I think the right person is worth waiting for" Ginny says sincerely.

"Okay well, now because of you guys, I am going to be late. Thanks" She says, looking at her watch. And with that she leaves the room with a huff.

Immediately, Ginny appears in my bed next to me, trying to get under the covers. I hoard all the blankets and look at her in the eyes.

"What do you say?" I say seriously. She kisses me on the lips and I contemplate it. "Okay that's good enough"

"So, what happened with you today, besides breaking your leg?" She asks as she gets under the covers snuggling up next to me. It's at this time that I decide to drop the bomb.

"Well for starters, Harry knows…" Just as instantaneous as she appeared on my bed, she is backed up and staring at me.

"WAIT WHAT?!" She practically screams. I silently motion for her to quiet down. She then mouths the words, 'WHAT THE HELL?'

"Well, when I fell onto the Quidditch pitch, the necklace fell out of my shirt and Harry was the first to help me then he saw it" I say rather quickly, avoiding Ginny's unwavering stare.

"Oh my God, how mad was he? Will he tell Ron?" She asks me nervously, beginning to bite her nails. I knock her hands out of her mouth.

"Stop that Ginny, you have too beautiful hands" I say, and she nods, then she remembers what we were talking about.

"Nice try Hermione, but don't change the subject. What did he say?" She asks anxiously and obviously fearing the worst. It's a good thing I have only news to relax and comfort her.

"Well then you will be happy to know that, he has accepted what it is, and has agreed to keep it a secret. He also said we could talk to him if we ever need to" The expression on her face turned from anxiousness and nervousness into a calm reassured demeanor.

"Thank God for Harry, but that's now Luna and Harry that now know in two days. At this rate, everyone in Hogwarts will know in less than a year!" She says, half joking and half serious. And she's not wrong, we need to be more careful.

"Enough worrying, just come back to me Ginny" I offer patting the spot next to me. She agrees and lays down next me, and we lay down facing the ceiling holding hands and resting our heads together.

"Do you think we could actually make this work?" Ginny asks with a surprising tone of seriousness. I don't answer right away, because I don't know. Of course I want it to last, but with the way things are right now, everything behind closed doors and hidden, I don't know how much linger I can take.

"Honestly Ginny, I don't know, but I hope we can be together forever. What about you? Can you see us together?" I ask her, she tends to be more optimistic no matter the situation.

"I know we can, as long as we love each other, I can't see anything that could ever break us apart. I love you Hermione," She says with conviction, "And I always will"

"And I love Ginny, now and forever"

Authors Note: Okay so these past few days, I have been pumping out these chapters like crazy. For some reason these are coming to me faster than usual. And as you can tell, this was the first time I have ever written anything remotely sexual, hence the awkwardness in the writing. If you prefer the story without that side, I will stick to fluff, but if you want to read more of that content I will try to better. Reviews are always helpful so I know what you guys want so please just take like 30 seconds to review and I will be sure to take any criticism seriously. Thanks again!


	13. Chapter 13

Smoke and Mirrors Chapter 13

Ginny's POV

Luna knows. Harry knows. Next person would probably be Ron, if our luck continues. I pray it doesn't. Speaking of luck, Rachel tripping on the stairs was a blessing, because if we hadn't heard her and woken up, se would've seen Hermione and I sleeping in full embrace. By the time she opened the door, we were both in our separate beds, acting that we were asleep. When she starts cursing and violently opening up drawers I decide to ask.

"Why the commotion?" She slams a drawer closed.

"Well for one, I just fell on the stairs and I am not feeling to happy about it" She says grudgingly. I decide to have a little fun.

"Oh that was you? I thought someone let out a dragon and it tripped over its wing" I say, still holding my eyes closed, but I can't help but smile.

"Oh very funny, I'm going to bed, have a terrible night" She says, covering herself with her blankets. I silently sit up and look at Hermione. She mustve thought the same thing because she sits up as well. I soundlessly mouth the word 'Love you' and she, in return, blows me a kiss. Then simultaneously we lay back down, and fall back into a deep, deep sleep.

~ _Dream ~_

" _Hermione, wait up!" I yell, chasing after her across field of bright, tall, and lush grass. The field is speckled with yellow dandelions and their gray counterparts. I finally catch up with her and tackle her down into the soft green bed that seems to go on for miles. I roll off of her, the both of us laughing the whole time. We look up at the blue sky, with fluffy white clouds circling overhead._

" _That one looks like Mrs. Norris" I say pointing at a cat-shaped cloud, directly above us. Hermione tilts her head, as if she has trouble seeing it. "Cant you see it?"_

" _I guess, but I guess I just saw Crookshanks" She replies, whatever they are both cats. "Help me up"_

 _I get up and lend a hand, she takes it. When she finishes she brushing herself off I kiss her on the lips, and she grabs me around the waist and pulls me in. Then the sky gets dark, I pull back and look up. The once blue sky has turned a dark gray, and rain has begun to pour down on us. Hermione doesn't seem to be affected. I guess I have an odd look on my face because it prompts Hermione to ask._

" _What's wrong Ginny?" Her voice full of concern. I look back to her but her face has been drained of all color, and she has the expression that she cannot breathe._

" _Hermione! Breathe!" I yell, then she is ripped out of my arms by some force unknown to me. Seconds later she is levitating in the air, in front of me, silently and desperately crying out to me. I try to run to her, and as I am about to reach her, a bright sudden flash of green light strikes her, dropping her to the ground. When I get to her, she isn't moving, and deep inside I know what has happened. Her eyes are open, but she is motionless, and cold. I collapse to my knees and begin to cradle her head in my arms, weeping over her lifeless body. Through the rain I can hear footsteps approaching, and when I look up I see a pale man standing in front of us, clad in black robes, and with features of a snake. Voldemort. His wand is pointed straight at me, and I hold Hermione's body closer to me._

" _Go ahead, kill me" I say, barely able to see, I cant tell if it's the tears or the rain. "Because if you don't kill me right here, right now, I will find you and I will end you!"_

 _His face remains expressionless as he begins to utter the words, "Avada Kedavra!"_

 _I turn my face into Hermiones, kissing her one last time before the green light engulfs me._

 _~ End Nightmare ~_

I jerk awake, sweating and breathing heavily, and my heart beating ferociously. My waking seemed to draw attention from Hermione, who is waking up herself.

"God Ginny are you alright, you look like you have seen a ghost!" She says coming over to my side. As soon as she gets within range I grab her and kiss her, not out of passion, but out of relief and terror. She notices this and hugs me tight and I detach and cry into her shoulder.

"Whats wrong? What did you see?" She asks softly, stroking my hair and kissing my on the head.

"It was him" I begin, regaining my composure and stopping the tears, "He came into the dream and murdered you. And there was _nothing_ I could do" I say, utterly defeated.

"Its alright now Ginny, I'm still here, and no one is taking me away," She says gently, looking m in the eyes.

"But Hermione, you don't understand, I think he was actually _there"_ Her face turns into confusion and fear.

"What do you mean?" She asks carefully. I swallow.

"I mean he was _there,_ it felt the exact same as when he was inside my head during my first year" I say, trembling still gripping onto Hermione with all my might.

"Shh, shh, its over now," She says. Pulling me back into her shoulder. How can it be over? "But I think we should talk to Professor Dumbledore. He will know what to do"

"Okay," I collect my thoughts, Hermione's words soothe me and calm me down. "When should we go?"

"Right now if you want to. You are obviously shaken up" She holds my hands, massaging them to stop them from shaking.

"Sure, lets get some breakfast first" I suggest, wanting to get my mind off of the nightmare. Hermione nods her head.

"Okay, lets go"

Luckily Harry and Ron weren't there, probably doing something stupid and getting in trouble with Snape. Even though Hermione doesn't show it, she is worried out of her mind. She constant is looking over at me with that concerned look in her eye, and frankly it's nice to know how much she cares. I mean it shouldn't be surprising because she is my girlfriend. Not that anyone would know that anyway. Anyway, apparently Hermione wasn't the only one who was concerned for me, because Rachel noticed as well.

"Whats your problem Ginny?" She says, not looking up from her own plate, "Did I interrupt your sleep last night?"

"Rachel, please, not today" Hermione says softly, her voice full of compassion. Rachel still doesn't look up.

"Sorry, I hope you feel better" She says as she leaves the table heading off to somewhere, presumably with Brian.

"Thanks Hermione, but I can still take it, just caught me off guard this morning" I say, trying to sound somewhat convincing. Hermione doesn't budge.

"Ginny, I know you well enough that you aren't okay, now come on, let's go see Dumbledore" I nod silently and walk away with her.

On our way to the Headmasters office, we had to pass by where all the Slytherin students hang, and since it is a weekend, it is especially packed. When we walk through all we hear is people boasting about how great they are, and how they beat someone in Quidditch with their eyes closed and that bullshit. One of the Slytherin boys seems like it's a good idea to say to Hermione,

"Hey I don't think I ever seen you look up from your potions book, too astounded that magic is real you filthy Mudblood?" Before Hermione can tell me to calm down, I have my wand drawn pointed straight at the boy's face. His eyes widen.

"Take that back," I don't even know what spell I am trying to cast, but the tip of my wand is glowing a deep crimson red. "Or else"

"Come on," He says, obviously anxious darting his eyes from side to side to see if his house mates will help him. "I was just joking, having a little fun. Im sorry if it makes it any better?"

"Come on Ginny, he's not worth it" Hermione says to me silently, and then I realize that the boy couldn't have been older than a second year. He has no idea what he is actually saying, he probably only said it because it's what he has heard so far from the other Slytherins. I then put away my wand and walk away, my hand unable to stop trembling.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asks me, as we continue to walk to Dumbledore's. "You didn't seem like yourself back there"

"They called you a filthy name. And I wouldn't stand for it"

"Ginny, you know that its just something I have had to deal with, what changed" She asks me as we approach the large doors. I turn and look her directly in the eyes.

"I don't ever want to see you hurt, ever. It doesn't matter if its physical, I know how bad words can sting too" I say thinking about how many times I have been called a 'poor Weasley', and every single time I want to fight back. Hermione looks at me with a compassionate expression. Then she cups my cheek in her hand.

"I know Ginny, I know you do" And with that we enter the Dumbledores office.

"How may I help you girls?" the great Wizard asks us as he is tending Faux, his phoenix. Hermione nudges me to go talk to him and I approach him as Hermione stays behind.

"Professor, I have been having dreams, nightmares more like, and they have _him_ hurting the people that I love" He nods, not looking away from the Phoenix. "And it feels exactly like what it felt like when he had control over me in my first year. Im scared Professor"

I finally turns to me and smiles, "You know, back in the day, he only used to terrorize like that to people who weren't afraid of him"

"He did?" I ask, unable to hide my curiousness and disbelief.

"And more to the point, this means he has grown more powerful, or else he wouldn't be able to do this." He says, walking over to the shiny Pensieve. He looks back at me.

"Now, I think the best way to beat him, is to continue the fight against the fear he is trying to install. Would you let me see this 'Nightmare' of yours to see what exactly we are dealing with?" He says, trying not to sound like necessary but I know it is. I turn and for a split second I see Hermione silently nodding her head.

"Whatever it takes Headmaster" I say in compliance. He nods and prepares his wand.

"Now I need you to remember the Nightmare, just a bit of it so I can extract it" Apparently I looked nervous because he then continues to say, "It will be just for a few seconds"

I begin to imagine the horror once again, the bright green flash, the lifeless body of my loved one being held in my lap, and the dark lord himself looking down at us, emotionless and cold. When I open my eyes, Dumbledore has a strand of silvery looking essence on the tip of his wand, he then puts it in the bowl and submerges his face in the liquid. As he does this, I am looking back at Hermione who sports a supportive look, even if she does look really concerned. I turn back to Dumbledore, who is still fully engaged the Pensieve. Sweat starts to bead the longer Dumbledore's face stays submerged in the magical liquid. Betraying my expectations, Dumbledore begins to slowly raise his head up, not turning to me, but facing the mirror in front of him.

"You have no idea how sorry I am" He mumbles to himself. Then he turns looking between Hermione and I, with a look in his eyes I can't quite understand. "Im afraid that the reason why Voldemort can affect you in this way, is because he has exploited your love for Hermione"

"How can I stop the nightmares Professor?" He ponders this for a moment.

"Well, you could stop loving her," He begins, and I am taken aback by hs bluntness, but then I see the small smirk in the corner of his mouth. "But I know far too well that a love as powerful as yours wont just stop"

Then Hermione appears right beside me. "I will do anything for Ginny, together we will beat him"

Dumbledore begins to smile brilliantly. "Well Ginny, it seems that you are in luck. If your loved one, in this case, Hermione, wears a totem that is enchanted just right, the power of your love will repel any kind of dark magic that will try to infiltrate the heart"

"Do you mean something like this Professor?" Hermione says as she pulls out her silver necklace. When Dumbledore sees it he begins to smile.

"Yes," He says, taking the necklace from her hand and examining the metal and crystal. "This exactly"

"What does the spell need to work, like do we need to do anything to make it work?" I ask curiously, wondering if we could do this now or later.

"Well if you want I could cast it right now if you would like," He offers nonchalantly still examining the crystal. The clear space is glowing, but I cannot distinguish the shape of the Patronus inside. "All I need is you two and the necklace"

"Okay," Hermione says, taking a deep breath. "Lets do it, whatever to keep Ginny safe"

Dumbledore nods and then magically enlarges the chain so it is large enough to fit both Hermione and I's head into it. "Now just put the necklace around both of your necks and hold the crystal in your hands"

We silently put the necklace over our heads and encapsulate the crystal in both our hands. Hermione and deeply stare into each other's eyes and she gently squeezes my hands, comforting me. Dumbledore whisks his wand a few times, and then starts to chant words that I cannot understand. I know it isn't English and I don't think its Latin. Hermione must not understand it as well because she has a look of confusion on her face and seems to be trying to decipher the words. Soon, the necklace begins to warm up, but the heat emitting is something I haven't felt before, its love. I have always known what love felt like when you feel it in your heart, but love itself seems to be emitting from the crystal itself. Hermione looks into my eyes and I can't help but lean toward her and passionately kiss her and without hesitation, she kisses back, and the next thing I know, Dumbledore has stopped waving his wand and he clears his throat.

"Well, that should do it," He says, putting away his wand looking unfazed that Hermione and I just full on kissed in front of him. "As long as Hermone wears it, no amount of Magic should be able to enter your mind, and exploit your heart"

"Thank you so much!" I say, throwing my arms around him, taking him by surprise.

"Oh, anything I can do to help in the fight against the dark forces, and help out any student who needs it" He says, hugging me back. "Like I always say, 'Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it'"

"And you would mind keeping Hermione and I a secret would you? I would really mean a lot to us" I ask him trying not to sound too desperate, but last thing I would want is the Headmaster outing us. He kindly smiles and nods his head.

"Of course, its refreshing to see young love so strong" He says, nodding at Hermione and I holding hands still. "Now you best be on your way, people might think something is wrong"

"Right then, Thanks again Dumbledore!" We both say heading out of the doors, and I feel a sense of safety and security knowing that Hermione is the one safeguarding my heart.

"Hey Hermione, you wanna go get some dinner?" I ask her, desperately trying to get out of the library. Hermione decided to help me out with my work load and that suddenly sprung into a long session of Hermione doing my homework and me sitting around the desk fiddling my thumbs.

"Well Ginny, I think we should really get the rest of this work done, I mean It has to be done one way or another right?" She says not looking up from the parchment. Then I hear her stomach growling, and she stops writing. "On second thought, dinner sounds good"

I grin wildly, "Brilliant, I'm starving"

"Yea me too, I didn't realize I was that hungry, I guess time passes by fast when you are having fun" She says, putting on her robe and folding the parchment.

"Fun?" I ask flabbergasted, "Fun is flying on a broomstick on the Quidditch Pitch"

"Maybe I should have you teach me one of these days" She says winking at me. See now that piques my interest.

"Tomorrow? No one should be practicing" I say, as we walk out of the Library, having to fight the urge to hold her hand.

"That's good, because the Library will be full anyways, so that could be a good idea"

"Quidditch is always a good idea, Hermione"

A/N Why won't you leave reviews? I THRIVE ON FEEDBACK.


	14. Chapter 14

Smoke and Mirrors chapter 14

Authors Note: So I'm just gonna assume I'm doing okay since no one has corrected me…

Hermione's POV

Okay I know I promised that I would try out Quidditch but I underestimated how fast everything would be. One second, Ginny is glossing over how to ride a broomstick and that I know how to do, but then she is telling me how to counterbalance to turn faster than normal. I found myself nodding to what she is saying, but I really don't understand. Harry was nice enough to let me use his broomstick, but making me promise not to bang it up too much.

"You doing okay up there Hermione?" Ginny asks from at least 6 meters under me. My hands are shaking, desperately clinging to the broomstick with all my might, trying to think of all the spells that could save me if I fall. "I will be up in just a second!"

"Y-yea okay!" I say shakily, then speaking under my breath, "Let's hope I'm still up here"

Then Ginny begins to rise up on her own stick, spiraling upwards and flashing her Quidditch robes. Showoff. Then she appears right beside me, looking at my shaky hands and she laughs a bit.

"It's nothing to worry about, if you fall, I will be right there with you," She says, trying to comfort me, but to no avail. My mind begins to race with all the possibilities of what can go wrong. What if there is a thunder storm? What if the Slytherin Team comes and starts to mess around with us? What if I kiss Ginny out of nervousness and someone sees? Then I feel a soft, gentle hand touch my trembling ones. I look down and Ginny's hand has stopped my hand from shaking and when I look up, she has a brilliant sparkle and twinkle in her eyes.

"It's gonna be fine Hermione," She says with a more soothing tone. "We don't have to do this today you know"

"No," I say, shaking my head, "I'm gonna do this, I mean it's just flying right?"

"Okay, let's start with flying around the pitch, then let's do it _fast_ " Ginny says, her voice growing more excited and more energetic. I nod my head, and begin firming my grip around the broomstick, this time without my hands shaking. Ginny smiles, "let's fly"

With a jolt we are suddenly moving as fast as my Mums car back home would on the way to the store. Even though the wind is whipping past my face and the feeling is scary beyond belief, but knowing that Ginny is beside me the whole time somehow makes everything less terrible. As we race around the oval, I watch Ginny's face, full of pure joy and I can't help but let some of that happiness into me as well and before I know it, I am beaming as well.

"See?" Ginny says seeing my smile. "I told you it was fun"

"I have to admit Ginny, I didn't think I would have this good of time" I say gleefully, then I see a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"Let's go _faster_ " She says, ad without waiting for my response, she begins leaning forward more, and not wanting to be left behind, I follow suit.

Now if I thought we were going fast before, then we are going at the speed of light. To me, the banners around the Pitch seem to blend together and the wind is now tearing at my face. I'm glad that it isn't snowing today or else it would be a freezing nightmare. Seeing my frightened face, she begins to slow us down and descend back to the ground. Even though I know we have slowed significantly, I still have the broom by a death grip and haven't relaxed at all.

"Maybe a little too fast?" Ginny say curiously, carefully landing on the snow covered grass.

"Just a tad, Ginny dear" I say a little shaky. When I put my feet back on the soft ground, I feel a little wobbly at first. "Now I just need to regain my balance"

Ginny looks up to the castle and inhales sharply. When I turn to see what she is looking at, I see Ron walking toward us and Harry walking in front of him, trying to talk him out of something. My mind begins to race once more, has he found out? Did Luna say something? Or did Harry? I begin to brace myself for the yelling I am about to hear and I can see Ginny also tensing up but a very calm and determined look on her face. When Ron finally reaches us, Ginny acts very casual, cleaning her broomstick and kicking the snow off of here boots.

"Hermione!" He says loudly, but it sounds more like astonishment than anger. "I thought you would never ride on a broomstick, much less at that speed!"

I quickly glance at Ginny, who seems disinterested but relieved as well, I then think up a convenient and simple lie. "Oh, my neither Ron, but Ginny and I had a bet, and I lost so I had to fly a broomstick at its fastest"

He begins to laugh, "Oh a bet is the only thing able to get you to do something new huh?"

"Yea I guess so," I say laughing along but in reality, I bet didn't have me do it, love did. Harry, realizing that everything is okay, sighs in relief and his shoulders noticeably relax.

"I see that my broom isn't broken," Harry says, taking back his beloved stick. "Did she handle okay for you?"

"Yea, but it sure was scary," I begin, rubbing my arm. It started to cramp from how tight I was holding the broomstick. "But Ginny had me alright, because I would've crashed if she hadn't guided me"

Ron's smile fades and little and clears his throat. "Harry and Ginny, you wanna play a bit?"

Harrys face lights up and Ginny does too, but then glances over to me. I nod and smile. "Sure, let me get my Quidditch Robes!"

"I will be watching from the stands, if that's alright" I say, beginning to back away toward the exits. They all nod, without looking up as they put on their gear.

Now I'm no expert at Quidditch, but I know you can't play with just three people. Somehow they manage to keep it interesting. Now, I don't want to be a stick in the mud, but it gets boring after a while, just sitting in the cold winter air, watching three Gryffindors on flying broomsticks throwing a ball, but that's just me. Suddenly, a voice beside me begins to speak.

"I've never flown on a broomstick before" And I turn to see Luna Lovegood sitting beside me keeping her eyes on the Quidditch Pitch.

"Jeez Luna!" I exclaim, my heart racing. "You scared me!"

"Oh I'm sorry," She says sincerely, turning to me with unblinking eyes. "I could leave if you like"

"Oh no, I was just startle that's all, what do you wanna talk about?" I say, assuming she came to ask me something.

"Does Harry talk to you about girls?" She asks very bluntly.

"Um, Harry doesn't really talk about his feeling that much I'm afraid" I say, and Luna's mood shifts, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh I just think I like Harry," She says again, very straight forward.

"Oh I see," I say, and I can't help but grin. "Has Harry acted different around you lately?"

She ponders this for a moment. "Well he talks to me more when there are others around. No one ever does that"

"Oh, well I could ask Harry what he feels about you if you like, but I don't think Harry would share that with anybody" I offer, then Luna looks uncomfortable, which something I have never seen before.

"Well, if you think that it would help, but I really don't need you to do it for me" She says, twisting and playing with her knitted Ravenclaw scarf.

"No, Ginny and I owe you for keeping us a secret, and I want to help you out" I say, trying to sound as supportive as possible. Luna smiles and hugs me.

"Thank you Hermione," She says, ending her brief hug. "You, Ginny, Harry, and Ron have been the kindest people to me at Hogwarts, I wish everybody could be like you guys"

"You know," I say, with a kind soft voice, "You have been the most accepting of Ginny and I, and for that you will always be one of my best friends"

"That's really nice to hear, but I think everyone should accept it, it is who you are…" Her voice trails off as her eyes wander off into the cloudy sky. Then her eyes snap back to mine. "Where was I?"

"It doesn't matter," I say, trying to contain my laughter. "You were just saying something everyone should hear"

"Oh," She says, dismissing the thought, "Anyway, I think I should be getting back the castle, thanks for the talk"

"No Luna, I should be thanking you" I say graciously, she just smiles and leaves the stands in her joyful way.

Shortly after Luna departs, Harry, Ginny, and Ron finish their little skirmish and decide enough is enough. Its barely past noon and they are all tired and worn out. On the way back, Ron steals Ginny's hat and so began their chase throughout the halls. This little diversion allowed me to talk to Harry alone, something very convenient which doesn't really happen often.

"Hey Harry I was wondering if I could talk to you about something," I say, putting my hands into my pockets. Without looking up, he nods. "What do you think of Luna?"

The question seems to catch him off guard because he almost trips over a very noticeable crack. "Why-What do you mean what do I think of her?"

"You know, what do you think of her?" I say restating the question, but with a slightly different tone. He pauses before answering.

"I don't know, she is really nice and sweet but I'm still getting over Ginny you know," He says, bringing back how he used to like her, before he knew she is a lesbian. "I wouldn't put aside Luna, she is definitely a possibly. If that's what you are asking"

"Well it was, and I think should absolutely ask her out, you two would be perfect for each other" I say with an encouraging tone and making sure he knows that I am in full support.

"You really think so?" He says, looking totally vulnerable and let's face it, he is. He has never really put himself out there before, and the schools reaction to Harry dating Luna could be just as bad as Ginny and me.

"Absolutely, she is totally into you" I say without thinking. Harry's face shows shock which is to be expected.

"Really? I never knew" He says, and his eyes and mind wander off into the realm of possibilities.

"Well, I am going to change back into more comfortable clothes," I say, looking down at the heavy Quidditch robes. "Talk to you later!

As I walk away, I can hear Harry talking to himself. "How am I going to do this? Just don't screw up"

When I walk into the Gryffindor Common Room I see Ginny sitting by the fireplace, eating something. When I walk beside her she turns to me, and offers me some nuts silently, as her mouth is full.

"No I'm fine thanks" I say, exhaling deeply. "I'm going to get changed, wanna come with?"

Ginny's eyes light up, then she seems like she just realized something. She swallows and begins to speak. "No, Rachel is up there, and she isn't in a great mood. It would be better if you just slipped in and out real quick"

"Okay, thanks for the warning," I say, running my hand across her cheek as I walk past and up the stairs.

"What are girlfriends for," She says back to me softly.

I can hear Rachel's voice before I enter the room. And Ginny was right, it does not sound happy. As I enter the room, she doesn't look over to me, but quiets her voice own to a whisper, still talking to herself though. I quietly rummage through my clothes and put on some sweats and a deep maroon sweater which is a little tight but I know Ginny won't mind. And as if I were a ghost I depart the room without so much as a footstep being heard. When I descend the stairs, I now see Ginny laying on the couch, with a blanket over her and she seems like she is fast asleep. I softly brush her hair out of her face, so I can see her flawless, perfect face. She seems so peaceful, and I know she sleeps well because I am protecting her. I feel my necklace warm and Ginny starts to smile in her sleep. Does the more I feel love, the happier her dreams are? I will have to ask her when she wakes up from her nap. Slowly, I sit down next to her, then she instantly moves her head up to my lap and I begin to stroke her hair. Not too long after, she begins to talk in her sleep.

"Oh Hermione," She says softly. "I love you too"

I can't help but laugh and smile. Apparently she wasn't in that deep a sleep because the moment I started to laugh, her eyes pop open and stare at me.

"What happened? Did I do something?" She asks, getting up and yawning.

"No," I say with a sly smile. "You said something"

She freezes and looks at me, "What did I say?"

When I don't respond right away, she begins to tickle me around my abdomen, making me laugh hysterically. I try to speak but the words won't come out. Somehow, after almost a minute of ruthless tickling I finally get the words out, "O-Okay I give!"

When she stops I have to catch my breath before I continue, "Since when did we resort to tickling?"

"Since now," She says, laughing as well. "Now tell me or else"

"Okay, okay" I lower my voice to a whisper, She leans in close, "You said that 'you love me'"

"Really?" She says, kind of relieved, "You made it sound like I just spilled some deep dark secret"

"Yea that's all. And I think you realize now that you had overreacted" I say, pretending to be mad. She laughs.

"Well I had reason, you wouldn't tell me anything!" She says defensively, then an idea pops into my head.

"Oh I think I did leave out some teensy tiny detail" Ginny looks at me suspiciously and I motion for her to get in close. When she is centimeters from me, I quickly kiss her cheek and whisper, "I love you too"

Ginny just rolls her eyes, and stretches out. "What do you want to do now? We have a while until we need to be down for dinner"

"I don't know, do you want to Visit Hagrid?" I offer, she immediately shakes her head.

"Remember he is out in Bulgaria for some rare animal or something" Oh! I just realized that I hadn't told her about Harry and Luna.

"Hey so when you guys were playing Quidditch, Luna came up to the stands and basically asked me to talk to Harry and find out what he thinks of her" Ginny's sits up straight and leans forward with an eager look in her eye.

"And you didn't tell me till now?" She yells quietly.

"Well, I was but you were asleep and then you tickled me. I had just remembered" I say putting my hands up.

"Whatever, what did he say?" She asks moving on from what could've been a debate.

"Well he said that he would ask her out!" I say giddy with excitement. Ginny smiles.

"That's awesome, so he isn't hung up over me anymore?" She asks carefully, and I can understand why, I can only imagine how awkward it could have been for Ginny and Harry, but it seems like he has moved on, and it's for the best.

"No, I think he has moved on, and the best way to go about it is to act like nothing ever happened right?" She smiles and nods.

"I wouldn't want it any other way" She says, but then I see a look of concern on her face. "When should we tell Ron? I don't want to wait too long"

"I really don't know, we could use all the help we can get from Harry, it's too bad Dumbledore doesn't get involved in students affairs though" I say, trying to think of how we can proceed in our relationship if we try to hide it from everybody.

"Definitely, I just hope he won't be mad for a long time, but sooner than later for sure," She says, picking at her nails, a sign of nervousness. I put my hand on hers and look her in the eyes.

"He won't be mad, and it's not like it will change anything right? He can't say anything that would stop me from loving you" My words seem to put her at ease, because she stops picking. The opening of the Common Room entrance causes us to fly to the opposite sides of couch, even as our hands slip from each other, our eyes don't lose contact. We wait for what seems like an eternity until Neville appears in the doorway, soaking wet. Both Ginny and I fully turn to face him.

"Oh Neville what happened?!" Ginny says, her voice full of concern. He doesn't look up from the ground and simply says,

"I fell off the dock" Ginny then rolls her eyes.

"What were you doing at the dock?" I ask, trying to clarify I mean you don't just end up on the dock in winter for no reason. He sighs.

"Well I was examining the aquatic plants when it's really cold out, and I slipped on the icy dock and fell in" He says in one breath.

"Well make sure you get warm, I don't want you catching anything and passing it around to everyone" Ginny says trying to help, but Neville is already on his way to the dorms, leaving a trail of water behind him.

"So what is going on with Neville lately?" I ask Ginny, who is snuggling up in her corner of the couch.

"Not too sure," She says, now so covered in blankets and pillows that only her head pops out of the bundle, "I don't know if he is into anybody, just that he is really taking to Herbology and studying more"

"Yea I've noticed that too, it's a shame though, any girl would be lucky to have him" Honestly, if people just took time to get to know Neville, not just go off of what he is teased about they would be honored to be his friend.

"Yea, especially during times like this," Ginny says, with a sad tone in her voice. "It's better if you have someone to hold onto when things go bad"

"Yea no kidding," I say, holding her hand.

We are silent for a while after that, just sitting on that couch, watching the flames flicker and dance. As I stare into the flames, I can't help but imagine what life would be like without Voldemort. No Death Eaters, no constant fear of where or when, and most importantly we would be a better society with much more progress. But then again, if he didn't exist, it is very well that Harry, Ron, and I wouldn't have been such good friends, and the consequence would be immense. If we hadn't become friends, Ginny and I wouldn't have had what is now a blossoming relationship. Honestly, Ginny has given me a kind of hope that I hadn't felt in a long time. A hope that love can exist in perilous and dangerous times such as these, and if we love as strong as this, how could we possibly lose?

A/N So school is picking back up again, so I will probably upload irregularly, but I shouldn't be too long between chapters. Since im getting no reviews, I will just assume that everything is cool. Adios!


	15. Chapter 15

Smoke and Mirrors Chapter 15

Hermione's POV

I feel bad for Rachel. Brian had just broken up with her, and a result of that had made her unbearable. She was nasty to everyone, I mean I could understand her being mad at us, because we never really got along, but she as mean to everyone. She even spoke up to Professor Snape! No matter who she talked to, she wouldn't get better, so eventually Dumbledore saw it fit to send her home for a little bit, just so she can be removed from the school scene and recollect herself. Being back home with her family should have a positive effect right? That's where my sympathy ends. I mean sure I feel sorry for her, but I can't believe I can have the dorm room alone with Ginny! No more having to constantly fear someone busting through the door and finding out about us. No more having to sleep apart, longing for one another's warm touch while lying in the cold stone castle. I will be just Ginny and me, an actual safe place for us to be ourselves. But that has to wait. Unfortunately, Rachel likes to take her sweet time getting her bags packed, I think she knows that it annoys us.

"So when are you heading out again?" Ginny asks nonchalantly, as she flips through a newspaper littered with articles about Quidditch. I can tell she is excited.

"Soon, just hold your horses," Rachel says filling her third bag of clothing, and begins on filling her second bag of trinkets and magical items. "I have loads of stuff you know"

"Yea I know, I know," Ginny says, becoming more and more annoyed. She notices this and calms down. "I just don't want you to miss the train that's all"

"Pff, as if, you just want me out don't you?" She says, sorting out which stuff to pack and which to leave behind.

"No, of course not," Ginny says with falsetto tone of disbelief. Rachel just ignores her.

"Alright, I think I'm done" She says, zipping up the last bag. Her eyes dart from Ginny to me. "Now remember, I don't want anything out of place when come back, understood?"

"Don't you worry Rachel," I say looking up from my book, I think my words carry more weight. Sorry Ginny. "You know me, I won't let anything get out of control"

She nods and looks around the room, getting a look at the way things are. And without saying another word, she leaves the room, and her bags magically float out behind her. We wait a couple minutes so we know that she won't come in again, retrieving something she left behind. For what seems like hours pass, and then I finally speak.

"I think it's safe to say she's gone" I say, slowly putting down my book. Ginny looks up from her own text and smiles.

"I thought the day would never come." She says leaping up from her bed and landing on my own. Then she rolls me over so I am directly under her, staring down on me with her gorgeous face.

"Have I told you how beautiful you are? I mean seriously" As I ask this she pretends to ponder this, making the most adorable face.

"You know, it sounds familiar but I don't know for sure, you ought to remind me" She says playfully.

"How about I show you instead?" Then I quickly wrap my arms around her waist and pull her in close to me, kissing her with a deep passion.

"I think I like it better when you show me" She says, breathlessly as we depart our lips, but I still have her hips pressed up against mine.

"I think I like it too, but I think we need to be somewhere else right now" She gives me a perplexed look.

"What do you mean? I have all I want right here"

"Well we have to go eat dinner, we can't keep missing eating times or else it will look suspicious. Remember, Harry already told us that people have been wondering where we are all the time" I say, as she rolls off me and lands beside me. I nestle myself into her side feeling totally content. Her perfume smells like cinnamon, and I exhale deeply, and seem to melt even further into her warm embrace.

"Well it seems like you don't want to go either" She says, laughing a little bit. I don't disagree. Nothing sounds better than to be with Ginny, alone and in peace.

"I don't, but it's for the best that we go to dinner" I say, not sounding very convincing. She nods her head. "Besides, it's only for an hour, we will be back before you know it"

It's never quiet in the Great hall, never. Today is no exception. Fred and George are pulling pranks on nearby Slytherins, Harry and Ron arguing about who is the best Quidditch player in the world, and even I can hear Luna listing off the names of her creatures (Personally I think they don't exist). Now, I'm not like Ron who can eat as much as he weighs, nor am I a picky eater like some of the students here. My parents always taught me 'Everything in moderation' and I try to follow it. Ginny on the other hand follows the Weasley tradition of eating everything in sight. First she goes after the drumsticks, then moves on to the plate full of rolls. When she bypasses the plate of greens, she catches my gaze and goes back to get some. I mean if she wants to take care of her body and be the best Quidditch player in the world, how can she disregard the nutrition?

"So Hermione and Ginny, you going to be hosting any parties now that Rachel has left the room?" Fred asks us, while stuffing his face full of food.

"Oh please, is it like me to throw a party Fred?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow. He shrugs, not looking up.

"I don't know, you loosened up quite a bit in the last few years, I wouldn't be surprised if you have been having secret get togethers" He says, laughing a little bit. He is right, I have changed. More than he knows.

"Doubtful" I say simply, finishing my first and only plate of food. I don't say much after that, the conversation pretty much circled around pointless things such as how many chocolate frogs we could eat in five minutes, or how many bludgers we can dodge with blindfolds on. Like I said, pointless.

About halfway through dinner, Harry starts talking to Luna over at the Ravenclaw table, and the Great Hall becomes noticeably quieter. I can't make out any words but I can hear people's confused and mixed reactions to whatever it is he did. God Harry, please don't make a fool of yourself. As he is walking back, his face is full of shock, happiness, and confusion? When he sits back down everyone leans in close to hear if he says anything.

"I…" People immediately shut up and listen. He continues, still in shock, "I asked Luna out for a date"

Ron, looking confused and stunned, asks, "Uh, what did she say?"

"She said 'yes'" Ron even looking more confused, clapped him on the back.

"Well, congratulations?" He says, unsure of what to say. Then everyone starts clapping and applauding. I doubt it's because he and Luna would make a great couple, but because it's Harry. I look back at the Ravenclaw table and see utter shock and disbelief on everyone's face all the while looking at Luna who seems unfazed, just smiling joyfully. Both Hufflepuff and Syltherin tables are looking around asking each other what the hell happened. When the news finally reaches their tables, Hufflepuff adds to the applauding, and Slytherin laughs hysterically. Harry doesn't pay them any attention. The rest of the night was suggesting to Harry what she should do on their date, luckily Harry doesn't listen to half of them because none of their ideas would impress Luna at all. In fact, none of their ideas do, I just hope Harry has something good in mind.

It was exciting and all knowing that Harry decided to make a move, but I really just wanted to settle in for the night and be with Ginny, alone. Finally, when the exhilaration died down, and all of our fellow Gryffindors went back to bed, we slip into our night garments and lay in Ginny's bed. It's an odd, yet satisfying sensation, going to bed with the person you love, not having to worry about who sees you because no one else is around. As we lay in her uncomfortable bed, watching our ceiling that I have enchanted with the same spell used on the Great Hall to simulate the night sky, Ginny leans her head on my shoulder and asks,

"How are you so smart?" I laugh aloud a little.

"How do you mean?" I respond back.

"Well you just so happen to know the spell to simulate the Great Hall's? Who knows things like that" She says incredulously, gesturing to the ceiling.

"Hey, I come from the Muggle world, when I first came to Hogwarts everything fascinated me, I wanted to learn all there was to know about spells and enchantments. I had to" I say back, recounting my first year at the school.

"I guess I never thought about it that way," She says, stroking my cheek, "I always grew up with magic, I guess I just took it all for granted"

"Were you nervous at all when you were wearing the sorting hat?" I ask, changing the subject. She thinks about it.

"A little, I mean all of my brothers had been sorted into Gryffindor, my worst fear was the possibility of being sorted into Slytherin" She says, "But Hufflepuff wouldn't be so bad I guess"

"To be honest, I was just glad to go here, I could've cared less which house I was sorted into. But I'm glad I'm in Gryffindor now" I say, looking over to all the clothes that have our house colors over them.

"I am too," She says snuggling up into me, and I into her. I hold her tight, kissing her perfect lips, and intertwining our legs. In the darkness of the room, the only light is given from the crystal that lies between our chests, shining brightly as our love is strong. It's usually cold in the castle, but then again, you only have yourself to keep warm, two bodies keep warm much better.

"I love you Ginny" I say softly, my hands around her hips, feeling her wondrous curves.

"And I love you Hermione" She says back stroking my face. "And I always will"

And with that, we slip away into a deep and peaceful slumber, not caring about a thing in the world.

~ _Dream ~_

 _The first thing I notice is the leaves. Leaves are falling all around me, red, orange, yellow, and brown. I look around me and see a picnic table set in a park, surrounded by trees, bushes and all sorts of magical creatures. At the table, I see Harry holding a boy, and Luna beside him feeding the boy an assortment of food. His hair is brown like Harrys, but eyes silvery gray like Luna's. Instead of eating, the boy is watching the magical creatures and begging Harry to go and play with them. Harry, with a defeated look, lets the boy go into his mother's arms and they do go play with them. I then see a familiar redhead, coaxing me to sit with her. I can't help but begin to run toward Ginny's smiling face. Mere seconds later, I come crashing into her arms, kissing her and taking her by surprise._

" _It's like you haven't seen me in years or something!" She says, breaking away. "What's gotten into you?"_

" _I don't know, I guess I just like kissing you huh?" I say, laughing for some odd reason._

" _Well come on, Luna prepared this nice picnic, we all know it's been too long since we have seen each other" Ginny says, gesturing to the food on the table. I don't know why it's been so long, but I nod, smiling from ear to ear. When I sit down, the little boy comes running up to me, holding what looks a doll of Albus Dumbledore. Luna comes up shortly behind, a little out of breath and says to me,_

" _I don't believe you two have met before," She says in her usual Luna voice. "This little guy is James, named after Harry's father"_

" _Hi James!" I say, kneeling down to his level, "My name's Hermione!"_

 _He is about to say something when he gets distracted by something in the distance and runs off. Harry runs off after him, while Luna sits down next to Ginny and I._

" _So Luna how have you been?" Ginny says, setting out paper plates and napkins for everyone. "It's been far too long"_

" _Well my search for new magical animals is digging up lots of things" Luna says in her abstract way. "James sure seems to like the different places, but Harry not so much"_

" _Oh I'm sure Harry is fine, he just needs to remember that home is where the heart is," Ginny says, looking at me as she grasps my hand, "And his heart is with the two of you"_

" _Thanks Ginny," She says sincerely, "I know you two have loads of experience with that huh? You two have been together since Hogwarts"_

" _And we never separated," Ginny says squeezing my hand. "But you two have had your share of hardship too"_

 _Luna smiles and looks at Harry, "It was all worth it. Some people just don't understand others, it doesn't mean they can't, they just need a little help"_

" _Yea, just look how Malfoy turned out" Ginny says, laughing at the notion as she finishes putting out everything. We sit there for a bit, watching Harry running after James, and James after a small lizard looking animal._

" _Let's start the picnic shall we?" I ask, wanting to gather us all once again._

_End Dream ~_

As much as I didn't want my perfect world to end, I suppose it was inevitable that morning would come, and classes would begin once more. This time, waking up wasn't the same as my normal ritual. Usually I would wake up by myself, the room was mostly silent, and I would get ready without a word. Today, I wake up snuggled in the arms of the love of my life. The light from the clear sky outside pierces the cracks in the curtain and illuminates the room, and making it unable to fall back asleep. Even though I am now awake, Ginny is still snoring softly.

"Ginny" I say gently whispering in her ear. Getting no response I softly shake her shoulder. "It's time to get up"

"I don't want to," She grumbles, pulling the covers over her head.

"You know I never did get you back for tickling me," I say, threatening her subtly. She throws off the covers and sits up immediately.

"I'm up!" She says, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Just don't tickle me"

I get up and hug her from behind, resting my head on her shoulder. "If we get ready I won't have to"

"Okay," She says, angling her head so she can kiss my cheek. "Let's go then"

Getting dressed was very low energy, mostly because we are still half asleep, but as I get up from the bed, she still manages to pat my butt playfully. When I look back, all she does is pretend to look around the room whistling as if she had nothing to do with it. Later, as we are putting on our robes, I come up behind her and pinch her side, she makes a little yelp in surprise and then laughs. After we are all ready to go I look at the clock and see we still have about fifteen minutes till the Great Hall is open for breakfast.

"We still have some time, you wanna just lay on the bed?" I ask, patting the mattress. She immediately flies back onto the bed, and I lay down, resting my head on her chest. Her breasts provide a certain level of padding that mimics a firm pillow.

"Where do you want to meet after class?" She asks, stroking my cheek.

"I don't know," I say, holding Ginny's other hand in my own. "What do you think we should do?"

"I mean, we could always play Quidditch" She says jokingly, I hope. Then she continues. "We could always just stay in the dorm"

"As much I love you Ginny, I think it would look suspicious if we spent the whole day in our room. You want to go to Hogsmeade?" I ask.

"Sure, I could go for a Butter Beer, it's been a while" She says, fiddling with her wand now. "We could ask Harry and Luna is they want to go, it will be away from lots of students so they won't be harassed as much I bet"

"That's a good idea, but think Harry should ask her, it would be better that way" I respond, sitting up now, and watching the beautiful redhead.

"We can tell Harry at breakfast," She says, getting up and looking at the clock she says, "Speaking of, we should go"

"Then let's go" Putting away her wand, she kisses me and opens the door.

For some reason, I am never terribly hungry in the morning. I only have some toast and a few sausages and before long, I am full. I guess I really don't do anything to warrant an appetite, but oh well. As usual, Harry and Ron come in later, looking like death and still half asleep. They lazily pile their plates and begin to shove the food into their expressionless faces. I let Harry finish his first place before I ask him.

"Hey Harry!" I whisper and he leans in close, "Ginny and I are going to Hogsmeade later today, you can invite Luna if you like, if you two aren't doing anything later that is"

The talk of Luna instant peps him up and he instantly becomes more alert and thinks about it. "Yea I might because I really didn't have anything in mind when I asked her out"

I mentally face-palm. Leave it to boys to never think things out. "Okay, just let one of us know"

"Will do" He says simply and resumes eating, but focusing less on the food now. Occasionally I see him glancing over to the Ravenclaw table obviously looking for Luna, Ron doesn't notice because he seems to have fallen asleep again, the fork still in his hand.

As the students begin to file out of the Hall to their classes, Ginny and I depart ways, heading our own ways. As I am walking to Alchemy, I see Harry talking to Luna in an empty corridor. Harry looks nervous, one hand scratching the back of his head and the other making an awkward gesture. In contrast, Luna looks perfectly comfortable, her hands holding her books in front of her, smiling dreamily at Harry listening to every word. Seconds later, I think Harry was rambling on and Luna touches his gesturing hand, and hugs him. I think back to my dream, my utopia, and I can almost see a little boy beside them.

Authors Note: After writing the "dirty" chapter, it didn't feel right, so I will be sticking to the fluff and there will be no more chapters with sex scenes or anything of the like. I didn't expect to have the Luna and Harry thingy be an important event, but I like writing about it and maybe do a little one shot story with them in it? Share what you think about it and I will consider. All feedback is welcome and thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

Smoke and Mirrors Chapter 16

Authors Note: I promise that I have taken all your ideas into consideration and am currently trying to implement them into the story. By the way Dumbledore's army is still a thing in this story, because I'm am still not sure when this story is taking place (Shut up). Thanks and have a good read!

Ginny's POV

Dear lord what is taking Harry and Luna so long? They said they were coming with us to Hogsmeade, yet here Hermione and I are waiting for them fifteen minutes after when we were supposed to leave. On the bright side, its only Hermione and I and that's never bad.

"You told them 3 o'clock right?" I ask Hermione who herself is checking her watch.

"Yea," She says, sighing and looking back up to the castle. "Maybe we should get going, they might want to be alone, and it is technically their date I suppose"

"Oh I guess you're right" I reply, rubbing my mitts together. The weather has been warming up, but it still if very chilly, even if the snow is beginning to melt. "Let's go then"

"When are the DA meetings starting again?" Hermione asks me as we begin to walk down the path guided by the stone walls.

"Um, I think today if I'm not mistaken, later in the day though, somewhere around 6 I believe" I reply, thinking back to before Christmas to our last meeting. Even though Dumbledore is back, we still felt that we could use the extra training, especially with how powerful **he** is now.

"Well we should be back by then," Hermione says, checking her watch once more to reassure herself.

"Let's just hope Harry will be able to teach after his date with Luna," I say, giggling at the thought, "He might be too dreamy to concentrate"

"I doubt it, Harry usually take it really seriously" She says, also laughing. "But I think we could instruct in his place if he can't"

"Maybe you can, but I haven't learned nearly as much as you," Honestly, she thinks I can match her or Harry's skill or knowledge?

"You know loads of spells," She says, shoving me in the shoulder. "More fitted for combat and dueling"

"Yea but you know how to use them more efficiently" I say, she rolls her eyes.

"Okay, let's just agree to disagree" I smile and nod. Before we know it, we are at the entrance of the Hogsmeade.

"Wanna go into Gladrags and look at some of the clothes? I bet there are some things on sale" She asks me pointing at the Wizardwear shop.

"Sure, I need a new scarf, the one I have now is from the Charlie era" I say, lifting up my tattered red and gold knitted scarf. She laughs sympathetically and leads us into the store. Just as she predicted, there was a table full of clearance items as soon as we entered the shop, but unfortunately no scarves.

As she sifts through the items, I walk around the store until I found the knitwear section. Luckily their winter section isn't completely sold out and I find a Gryffindor scarf buried in the pile of other Hogwarts house items. There isn't a price tag, but I do spot a house elf folding piles of shirts in the corner.

"Hey, how much is this?" I ask him, holding up the scarf.

"Hmm," He grumbles appearing next to me and examining the garment. "10 sickles I reckon"

"Okay thank you" He scampers off again to resume folding the clothes. 10 sickles?

"Oh you found one!" Hermione says, appearing next to me admiring the cloth. "How much is it?"

"Oh too much," I say, neatly folding it and putting it down. Hermione tilts her head and gives me a kind look.

"I've got it Ginny," She says, picking it back up. "You need it and I am more than willing to pay. Plus I love you"

"No its fine, it won't be winter for that much longer anyway," I say, trying to pry it out of her hands but she has a very firm grip on the thing. For someone who claims she isn't that athletic, she is plenty strong. I soon lose my grip and she looks me in the eye with an unmoving gaze.

"Ginny," She begins in a very serious voice, "I am buying this for you, whether you like it or not"

I stop trying to grab it, and I instead kiss her lightly on the cheek. "Thanks Hermione"

"It's my pleasure, you got me something priceless for Christmas," She says, holding her hand over her chest, presumably where the crystal is, "This is the least I can do"

"Are you two ready to pay?" An elderly witch says as she emerges from a room behind the counter.

"Yes," Hermione says, handing her the scarf. "10 sickles right?"

"Yup, you're lucky," She says examining the cloth. "This is part of our last shipment, we won't have stock for months"

"Awesome," Hermione says, finishing the transaction and taking the scarf back. "Thank you so much"

"No thank you, come back soon!" The witch says, departing the register and entering the backroom once more.

Before we go back outside, Hermione stops me and takes off my old scarf. "You want to keep this for Ron? He always complains he doesn't have any clothes"

"Ha, sure why not," I say, stuffing the old ratty thing into my coat. Hermione hands me the new one, and I immediately put it on. It's warm, soft and the colors are their bold, original hue. Hermione sits back and smiles as I put it on.

"I'm ready to go now!" I say, presenting myself in full attire, spinning to show my outfit.

"And you look gorgeous," She says sincerely, and then walking out of the store, she asks, "Wanna go to the Three Broomsticks? If Harry and Luna are here yet, I bet they are in there"

"Sure, let me buy you a Butter Beer then" I say, not really offering, but ordering.

When we walk into the familiar cabin, the smell of food ambushes my senses, and I instantly feel all warm and cozy inside. We scan the table for a head of silver and a head of brown, and by the fireplace is where we find them. Luna is speaking to Harry, who is listening to her every word, and laughing as well. He looks up and sees us standing by the door and motions us over to their table, notifying Luna that we have arrived as well.

When we approach the table, Luna moves from across the table to sit down next to Harry so we have a place to sit. She places herself very close to Harry, then he holds her hand in his lap.

"Where were you guys?" Harry says, not out of curiosity, but of courtesy. I feel like he really didn't mind spending alone time with Luna.

"We went to Gladrags and picked up this!" I say holding up the scarf and showing off its brilliant colors. "So not much really. How long have you guys been sitting here?"

"Just talking really," Luna says happily, more happy than I have seen in a while. "He has been so kind!"

Harry blushes as she gives the compliment, "Anyway, what do you guys think we should go over today in the DA meeting?"

"I thought we could go over defense spells today, it's always good to know those" Hermione says, taking off her beanie and scarf due to the warm temperature.

"Sure, we barely even touched on it before we moved onto offensive spells, and people do say the best offense is a good defense" He says, remembering the way Ron plays chess. Hermione nods in approval.

"That's good, I'm not that good with violent spells usually" Luna says softly, using a little magic on the porcelain figures to make then dance. Harry smiles and seeing this, she smiles as well.

"It just takes time," I say, reassuring her, "It's too bad we have to learn violent spells anyway"

"Once this is all over, hopefully, we won't need to use them anymore" Harry says confidently, and optimistically.

"Hey where have you guys been?" Ron asks us as we reunite in the Room of Requirement. "I was looking all over!"

"Sorry Ron!" I say, I totally forgot that we are literally the only people he hangs around with. "I had to get a new scarf and Hermione came with. Harry and Luna went on their date too"

"Oh I see, so just leave your brother alone is that it?" He says, exasperated. "It's okay though, I hung around with Katie"

"Katie Bell? I thought you two didn't get along" He shakes his head ferociously.

"No, no Katie Locke, the Hufflepuff" Suddenly I remember, she's in his year and I think I have seen her in the crowds of the Quidditch matches before. And I think she was cheering him on. She has dark blonde hair and has deep blue eyes.

"I remember her now! What did you guys do?" I ask him, as we set out the mats for spell practice.

"Well, I was sitting alone in the Hall polishing my Quidditch stuff when she came over and started to talk with me" He says, awkwardly realizing it's not much of a story. "Oh I also brought her here, she was interested"

I turn and see Katie admiring the room, and exploring every little nook and cranny. I turn back to him. "Really? I never tagged her as someone who would be interested in this"

"Oh yea? And why is that?" He says challenging me. Before I can respond, Katie comes up to us beaming.

"This place is amazing Ron!" She says, making Ron stand up taller smiling as well. "You come and help teach the lessons!"

"Oh yea!" He says, proudly. I snicker and he elbows me in the side. "But today, I'm taking a back seat because it's all about Defense today, I am more of an offense caster myself"

"Oh that's perfect Ron!" I say, enthusiastically. He slowly turns his head toward me and his eyes tell me, 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!', "We need some strong spells to counter today, you can demonstrate!"

"Oh really Ron!" Katie says, hopping aboard my hype train. "I can't wait!"

"Yea me either…" He says, through his smiling teeth. I leave to find Hermione and Harry discussing something in the corner.

"Hey guys, so Ron has volunteered to perform the spells that we are going to deflect against" I say with a wicked tone. Hermione has a genuine look of concern on her face, and Harry nods.

"Dear lord, he only really knows Stupefy, and everyone know that one," Hermione says shaking her head.

"At least we are teaching defense and not offense" Harry says, looking at the near dozen and a half gathered in the room and most are staring at us. He turns to address them and as he does so, he awkwardly fiddles with his wand. "Um thanks for coming, today we are going over defensive spells. Ron has volunteered to perform the spell that I will counter"

Ron gets up and shuffles to the dueling pad, facing Harry who is already with his wand at the ready. Ron nervously raises his wand and begins to speak, "Stupefy!"

Almost immediately, Harry yells, "Protego!" and the bolt that Ron had fired, ricocheted off the shield spell and hit a young Gryffindor, knocking him out cold.

"Um, he should be fine," Harry says, nervously looking over at the sleeping boy. 'Just give him a few minutes. Anyway, that was a Protego spell, and I would advise using it as your first defense, as it its very effective"

Taking that as their cue, the rest of us began splitting into pairs to practice it on each other. Harry went with Luna, and as expected, people watched their every move, still trying to figure out what exactly happened between them. Ron went with Katie, who is absolutely loving this entire experience. And of course, Hermione and I went off together. We pretty much know Protego, but it's always good to practice reflex times and wand movement.

"Hope you're ready," I say, nudging her as we walk over to our own mat. "I won't go easy on you"

"Really?" She says, laughing and taking a stance wan at the ready, "Just watch out for the ricochet"

"That is if you can cast in time" I say, my competitive side emerging.

"Just shut up and cast it" Hermione says, playfully yet focused. I comply and begin to wave my wand.

"Stupefy!" I shout, sending a bolt out of my wand. Just as Harry performed, she immediately arcs her wand and yells,

"Protego!" Maybe, she casted too late, or maybe her shield wasn't strong enough, because my bolt hit her square in her chest, knocking her back but not knocked out. I begin to go over to her, but she waves me off weakly.

"No, my turn" She says, getting up unsteady at first then when she regains her balance she takes an offensive stance.

"You sure?" I say concerned. "You ought to wait a little bit"

"I'm fine," She says, embarrassed by her falter. "Death Eaters won't hesitate"

"True," I say, now assuming a defensive position but still concerned. "Ready!"

She nods and begins waving her wand. Moments later she yells, "Flipendo!"

Reactively I whisk my wand and shout, "Protego!"

Now the next thing that happens baffles me. I feel my shield spell, dampen the jinx, but I still go flying back none the less. I know for a fact I was fast enough and did it right. I look up and see Hermione with a confused look as well. As I get up she walks to me briskly, almost jogging.

"I don't know what happened" I say, still in shock from what happened. I start examining my wand/. "I know I did it right"

"Could the spell Dumbledore cast have anything to do with it?" She asks quietly, pulling out the crystal necklace. "I mean it essentially bound our magic to each other"

"You might be right," I say, trying to think of what it could be. "Well for the spell to work I kind of need to let down my guard with you right?"

"But that wouldn't explain why I am also affected. Unless it's a two way street" She says, thinking she has come to a conclusion. I motion to quiet down when I see Luna and Harry walk over.'

"Hey, I saw what happened," Great now he's gonna start asking questions. "What happened? You two are supposed to be as good if not better than me"

"I don't know," Hermione starts, rubbing the back of her neck. "I think we were both a little distracted"

"Oh," He says, buying our excuse. Luna on the other hand doesn't seem so convinced. She is extremely good at reading people. "Well, you can help the others that don't know it if you want"

"Sure," I say quickly. "I just need to get my head in the game, that's all"

"How long till it heals?" I ask Madam Pomfrey as she bandages my broken arm. You might have guessed that we, being how stubborn we are, decided to keep casting spells at each other. Long story short, one Flipendo too many caused me to end up with a broken arm after I was thrown into a wall.

"Well I don't know have you broke your arm as bad as you did by falling down the stairs," She says eying me suspiciously. "But it shouldn't take longer than an hour"

"The stairs were moving by the way" I add on at the last minute as she leaves my bed. When she leaves, Hermione comes up to my bedside, with a very anxious look on her face.

"Oh my god Ginny I am so sorry!" She says, looking at my sling. "I swear I didn't mean to throw you into that column" It was a column? I must've been hit pretty hard.

"Hermione its fine," I say, trying to dissipate the concerned look. "You know I've been hurt worse than this"

"Yea but this time it's my own fault!" She says, pacing the floor.

"It's okay, we were both flinging some nasty spells" I say, gesturing her to sit down next to me. "And I know you got hit with some hard ones too"

"How bad does it hurt?" She asks me, touching the sling. To be honest. It's not a sharp pain but a dull, exaggerated pain.

"Not that bad," I lie as I put on a smile. "But I wouldn't want to do it again though"

She laughs a little bit and strokes my cheek. "You always seem to make me laugh, don't you?"

"I try," I say smiling back at her. "Its kina hard when you are serious all the time though"

"What?!" She says defensively, "I'm not that serious"

"Well not lately, but before when you didn't know" I say, trying to reason with her. "All you did was study and more studying"

She catches my exaggeration and plays along. "Well I had to so I could keep my mind off of you"

As she says this, she leans in and gives me a little kiss on my nose, it tickles.

Before long, the hour was up and we were on our merry way back to the Gryffindor common room, my arm still aching from mixture of breaking it and the medication I was given. Before reaching the Fat Lady, we spot Ron and Katie walking in the stone hallways. When we get closer, we hear Ron making some joke and Katie laughing along. When they eventually reach the corridor where she has to go to her own common room, she gives Ron a kiss on the cheek before departing him. At first he just stands there, staring at where she once stood, then he swivels on his heel and begins to whistle as he walks to our own dorms. We speed up to catch him and then we flank him on either side.

"What was that Ron?" I ask, but he just keep whistling, not slowing down. "Come on, don't be like that"

"Can't you see Ginny?" Hermione says humorously. "He can't talk to us or else Katie might think something's up"

Hermione's plan works and he finally says, "It's not like that, we are just friends. Who like each other?"

"Oh is that all?" I say sarcastically, as we walk into the Common room. "And I suppose Dumbledore is just a wizard as well?"

"Oh lay off" He says, making us laugh as he marches up the steps to his dorm. But before closing the door, He sticks his head over the ledge and says, "And by the way _she_ kissed _me_ "

Both of us continue to laugh as she slams the door behind him. We make our way to the table, where wrapped chocolates are sitting in a glass jar waiting for us. We sit down and when Hermione unwraps one, I open my mouth and point to the chocolate ball. She takes the cue and launches the candy in the air, her aim isn't perfect, because it lands in her shirt, leaving me to fish it out.

"Oops sorry!" Hermione says blushing, "Now you throw"

"Sure, but just know I have perfect aim" I say unwrapping another one. "And please don't choke"

I toss it and it lands flawlessly on her mouth, and she throws her arms up in success. Then as she chews it, her face turns sour and spits the chocolate ball out in the nearby trashcan.

"Eww" She says, shaking her head. "Those must've been stale. You're lucky my aim is horrid"

"Now it just sounds like you are making excuses" I say playfully taunting her. She raises an eyebrow.

"I won't let you bait me like that," she says, getting up. "Wanna go upstairs? I'm a little tired from all the spells today"

"Yea me too" I say, holding her hand and walking up the stairs with her. Walking up the spiral staircase, I look out the window and see that a lot of the snow that once covered the school grounds had melted, leaving everything damp and cold. The wind is also blowing fiercely, you can hear it blowing even from the inside. As we enter I half expected to see Rachel sitting there on her bed looking at us judgmentally as usual, but somehow I forgot she was away.

"Oh dorm sweet dorm," I say, flinging myself onto my bed, robes and everything still on. As I lay there eyes closed, and body aching, I feel the weight of clothes being thrown on me. I look up and see Hermione, taking off her uniform and tossing them at me. "Would it be too difficult to throw them elsewhere?"

She looks at me, takes off her tie and throws it at me without saying a single word. "Do you want to get tickled again?"

She assumes a readying stance. "Don't you dare Ginny"

I lunge at her and we begin running around the room, laughing hysterically all the way. After a minute or so chasing Hermione around the room, I finally corner her by backing her against a bed, but I trip over her robe and topple on top of her. We land on her bed, tangled within each other and giggling over our childish behavior. When I lift myself up, I notice my hand is rested perfectly on her breast, and she notices as well. We stare at each other for a while, before Hermione begins to speak gently.

"Do you wanna go all the way tonight?" Hermione asks me softly, looking up at me with her dazzling brown eyes. I brush a strand of wavy hair from her face and say with the most sincere voice possible.

"Nothing would make me happier" Then kissing me without hesitation, out night began.

~Authors Note

So I implemented some of the ideas that were suggested into this chapter, I hope I am going in the direction you guys are looking for. Always looking for more suggestions, so keep on writing reviews!


	17. Chapter 17

Smoke and Mirrors: Chapter 17

Authors Note: I am trying something new this chapter, so please tell me how you like it (or hate it), enjoy!

Hermione's POV

Now I didn't think life could become better, but last night Ginny sure showed me. Of course I don't want our relationship to be based on sex or anything sexual, but I had hoped that it could be expressed as such and we could trust each other that way. There will be no possible way we could continue this with Rachel living in the same room, so unfortunately these will be far and few between. It doesn't matter though, even if I did enjoy last night, I almost like just laying here with her more than that. As usual I am the first up, and with that I get to watch her in her blissful sleep. I look outside the window and it seems like the sun is already beginning to rise, bathing the school in its golden light. Then I see something in the courtyard. I get up, and put on my underwear to get a closer look. I look down and see a chariot resting on the stone area, with a single white Pegasus charged with pulling it. It looks like it has luggage on the back of it and whoever was on it has already left.

"Hey Ginny!" I say loudly, tossing a pillow from an unoccupied bed onto her. "Come and see this!"

"Why?" She says, drawing out her voice from underneath the pillow.

"Because it looks like someone has arrived, and it looks like they are planning to stay for a bit. You don't think its Rachel do you?" I ask, straining to spot any detail that could provide additional information.

"It better not be," Ginny says as she puts on her own underwear and walking over to me. "She just left, and I doubt she is over Brian that quickly"

"Yea I know, but who else could it be?" I ask, the wheels in my head turning from the possibility that the Ministry is paying us a visit to something like Voldemort's forces have toppled them. Ginny kisses me on my neck.

"Who cares?" She says, nuzzling her head against my own. "We will find out during breakfast I'm sure"

"You're right," I say, shutting the blinds. "And speaking of, we need to get ready"

"So soon?" She says, tiredly "Thanks for last night by the way"

"Happy to provide my services" I say, winking at her. "Now come on, I wanna find out what's going on"

"I'm going, I'm going" She says, buttoning up her white shirt. She tosses me my tie. "Don't forget this,"

"Thanks, I was looking for it" I say, putting it around my head, and fastening it around my neck. "What do you want to do after class today?"

She stops what she is doing immediately, then she slowly turns to me with a serious and sympathetic look on her face. "I think we should tell Ron today"

"Okay," I begin cautiously. I don't immediately jump at the idea because I'm am afraid how he will react, but I know the longer we put it off the worse it will be. "Better sooner than later I guess"

"He will be fine," She says reassuringly. "I think he is too caught up with Katie at the moment to be really mad or anything"

I guess I have a worried look on my face because she walks over and embraces me. I lay my head on her shoulder. "Look, you guys are best friends, and that won't change. I promise"

"I know," I say, pulling back and smiling. "And I know you will be right there along with me"

"Exactly" She says gently, then she buttons up fastens my robe. "Let's go see that that Chariot is about huh?"

The first thing I notice is the notable elegance. When we get closer to the Chariot, I could easily see the silver trimming on the Chariot and the bold gold painted wood. As I saw from the room, there is luggage packed onto the back with similar features of nobility and wealth. What stood out most was the Pegasus. The creature was stark white, with a silvery mane and tail that flowed beautifully in the wind. As we approached the beast, it didn't so much as move or react to our presence. It kept its eyes fixated ahead, watching dutifully in the direction that his master had (presumably) gone to. In further examination, I noticed that the Pegasus was not bound to anything, but rather had been magically pulling the chariot, showing its masters caring attitude for the creature. I would've stayed longer to marvel at the collective display, but Ginny had grown impatient with my over analytical nature.

"Come on Hermione!" She whines, grabbing her stomach. "It's not going anywhere, and I'm hungry"

"Alright, but we should bring back an apple for him or something," I say tearing my eyes from the gorgeous animal.

"Sure, whatever you want" Ginny says, tugging at my hand. "But you can't do that unless we actually go inside and get the food"

"Why are you always hungry?" I ask her as we walk into the Great Hall.

"Well I can normally take it, but I had a good workout last night" She says winking at me, making me blush.

"Ha Ha very funny" She just laughs.

It was a normal breakfast all around, but I didn't partake in the usual Gryffindor banter because I was too busy watching Professor Dumbledore speaking with a cloaked figure at the Professors table. As I watched their conversation, I noticed that Dumbledore was very cautious around them, careful not to mess up at all. That isn't like Dumbledore at all. When Breakfast was about over, he stood up and gave a tremendous clap, the echo ringing around the Hall. Everyone shut up and looked at him.

"Good Morning students," He began in his usual kind voice. "As you may have noticed, we have a visitor. May I introduce Madam Burgafawn, our guest from the Ministry of Magic"

As he introduces her, she stands up and pulls back her white and gold hood. Immediately I know why Dumbledore is so careful. By her posture and manner, you could relate her to royalty. The cloak she dons is white with elegant gold trimmings, symmetrical and immaculate. The more I examine her face, the more I can't tell her age because her features are a combination of all years. Her face is flawless and fair, the features mark her as somewhere around twenty to thirty years of age, but her mannerisms seem like they belong to a time long ago. Her wavy hair is raven black and neatly brushed to one side. But the thing that scares me is her eyes. I can't quite describe it, but her eyes are a combination of colors. From one angle they look light green, but from another, a deep, deep blue. But one thing is for sure, you don't want to cross her path. Dumbledore is about to speak again, but she motions and he quiets.

"As your Headmaster said, my name is Madam Burgafawn," She says, scanning the crowd eye to eye. "The Ministry has sent me to inspect this institution for any and all irregularities in relation to Magical code, including the relationships between students"

I don't know if it is just me, but I swear she paused when she came to Ginny and I. She continues, "There is no need for alarm or distress, provided you all continue to go about your regular school routine. That is all"

Even though she is done speaking, the Hall is still dead silent, paralyzed from her intimidating voice and gazing eyes. Slowly, the Hall begins to louden, but not reaching the normal discord.

"Did you guys see Dumbledore?" Ron says quietly to the rest of the table. "I've never seen him like that. She really must mean business"

"No kidding," Harry adds, staring at her again. "What do you think she meant by 'relationships between students'? Like how Fred and George keep pranking other students?"

"I doubt it," Ron says, defending his brothers. "It's probably about how Slytherin keeps bashing against half-bloods"

"Whatever it is," I say finishing my meal. "I don't want to cross paths with her"

Everyone nods in agreement, concluding our morning meal. As Ginny and I walk out I turn back to look at Ms. Burgafawn once more, and to my surprise and distain, she is staring right back at us, not breaking eye contact.

"Miss Granger?" Professor Slughorn says, approaching me in potions. "I have been notified that you are called to Dumbledore's office"

"Why?" I say defensively, he doesn't seem to care, "I mean what is it for?"

"I haven't the faintest idea" He says, looking once more at the note. "But I suggest you better hurry. Besides, potions aren't going anywhere"

"I just don't want to miss anything Professor" My excuse seems please him.

"Well I'm glad you are taking precautions, I will make sure I have anything you missed copied" I force a smile.

"Thank you Professor," I say, departing the room quietly.

The first thing I see when I walk into his office is Ginny, sitting nervously in an old armchair, with saucers for eyes. A million thoughts run through my head. Are we in trouble with Burgafawn? Did she somehow know about last night? No, how could she? Just play it cool. As I walk further into the room, my mind is put at ease as I spot Harry and Ron looking around the room as well. I sit down next to Ginny and whisper.

"What's going on?" She shakes her head.

"I don't know, I just got pulled out of Herbology" She says, nervously looking around the room. "But I do know Dumbledore isn't here, and I'm pretty sure Burgafawn is involved"

"It can't be about us," I say, trying to sound comforting. "Ron is here, and he doesn't know about us, right?"

"Right" She says, exhaling a deep held breath. Suddenly a door swings open and Madam Burgafawn is standing in the doorway leading to the Ministry guest quarters. All of us sit down without a word, not making eye contact and sitting perfectly still. She slowly walks toward us and I notice she has taken her cloak off, revealing her dark blue and silver Ministry uniform. Now I know she is supposed to be scary, but her muscular figure is quite similar to Ginny's and frankly I found it extremely attractive, I can only imagine what the rest of them are feeling (since you know, we all like girls). She slowly leans onto the fireplace mantle, twisting her black shiny wand. She takes in a deep breath before speaking.

"Now I understand that the crisis at hand is very personal to all of you, considering your friend is caught in the center of it," She says, motioning to Harry. "But that does not mean that you can create an 'army' and practice dangerous and harmful spells. Believe me when I say the Ministry has the best intentions in mind when we created these rules, we created them to protect the students at the school"

To all of our surprise, Harry clears his throat and speaks, "Madam, with all due respect, we believe that we need to learn these spells to defend ourselves, and if the ministry won't teach us, we will have to teach ourselves"

I can't help but feel a surge of confidence when Harry speaks, and I want to say something until I see Burgafawn's face. All she does is raise an eyebrow at what he has to say.

"I can understand your want to learn these spells," She says back in a calm and collected manner. "And maybe someday we can teach them to you, but as of now the rules are set. And as young witches and wizards you are expected to follow them"

"But-"Harry tries to reason back, but she holds her hand up.

"If you are caught meeting and using dangerous spells without Professor Supervision again, there will be consequences" She says, and I must've imagined it, but I think she winked as she said it. "That is all I will say on the matter, you are dismissed to class"

As soon as she says this, she taps the air, and an orb materializes and I soon realize it as a recollection globe, used to capture events, sort of like a security camera. She than packs the orb away in a special box and as we are leaving she calls back to us.

"Miss Granger and Miss Weasley," We stop cold in our tracks. "Please come here"

Harry and Ron look back at us, but Ginny waves them off, and they reluctantly leave, watching us until the door shuts behind us. As soon as the doors closes, Madam Burgafawn relaxes takes off her leather knee boots before sitting on the couch. We stand awkwardly on the floor, looking at each other in confusion and waiting for orders. She finally looks at us and motions to the chairs.

"Please, sit down" And she smiles. She actually smiles. "Sorry, I just had to put on the show for the Ministry, they needed to know something was being done"

While I am too confused to speak, Ginny pipes up confidently. "Uh, so what did you want to talk to us about?"

"Oh yes, it seems you two have been missing a roommate right?" She says eyeing us with a knowing look in her eyes. She gets up and picks up an apple and begins to eat it. "Before I go on, as part of the job, I am supposed to look at everything unusual that has happened at the school since the last visit, and I found that you two spent quite a lot of time in the Prefect bathroom, and now that your roommate is gone, quite a lot more time in the dorm as well. Alone"

"Well I can explain everything" Ginny say reassuringly, "We don't want to-"

Burgafawn raises her hand and she shuts up. "No need to make excuses. I know you two are in a relationship, and I don't want to assume anything so I must ask, and do not lie"

Her kind demeanor is overcome by seriousness. We both nod in agreement. "Have you two had sexual contact of any kind?"

We silently nod our heads, but not in shame, we sit up straighter than ever. She smiles once again. "Just so we are clear, I am not against your relationship, but I must press on you the consequences of such actions in the school"

We nod, I don't know where this is going. "For your sake, I must put another student into your dorm room, but unfortunately there is no one to move, so the Ministry has granted me permission to move you two into a Houseless dorm and move another student from any house into it to accompany you"

We remain silent, taking in all the information we are being given. She takes this as we understand it. "Now do you have a preference on who you would like to have or would you have me choose at random?"

I look at Ginny, and I know we are thinking the same thing. I decide to speak. "We would prefer Luna Lovegood if it could work" She nods silently.

"From what I have heard, her roommates wouldn't mind her leaving would they?" She says kindly, if not sympathetically. This time Ginny comes to Luna's defense.

"They just don't understand her, she could use a break from all the teasing as well" She nods and smiles.

"Well good news is that I can have it done straight away, with Dumbledore's approval that is" And as she said this, Dumbledore's private quarters door opens up and when the two of them make eye contact, she breaks into a joyful smile.

"Headmaster!" She says, jumping up and hugging him tightly. No I am more confused than ever. I turn to look at Ginny and her jaw is hanging as well. "Sorry for scaring you, you know how the Ministry likes a tight ship"

"Oh I do indeed" He says, breaking away from her. "I'm so glad they sent you, it would've been much more difficult if it were someone else"

"It's no problem, I was wasting away in the offices, I'm just glad to be back at Hogwarts" She says, looking around the room, remembering her years no doubt.

"So have we figured out an arrangement for these two young girls? I would hate to discipline them over something as innocent as love" He says nodding at us, causing me to blush furiously.

"Yes sir, I am moving them to the houseless dorm and placing a Ravenclaw with them, Luna Lovegood to be specific" Dumbledore nods and smiles a kind and understanding smile.

"Well I see that you have everything under control," He says, clapping his hands in satisfaction. "I would love to stay and chat, but I must tend to other matters, I will see you all later"

"Thank you Headmaster!" We all say in unison as he leaves us alone again with Madam Burgafawn. We stay silent for a while, Ginny and I still in shock from the good news we have just heard. Burgafawn is the one to finally break the silence.

"I have already notified head of each house of the arrangement," She says kindly, as she looks over to her owl that is taking the notes to the Professors. "They will expect you to be all moved into the dorm by tonight, you may still go to your respective Common Rooms, it's just when you retire that you must go to the new dorm"

"Thank you again for doing this, I would've thought we were in some big mess of trouble," I say politely, she gives a little laugh.

"In trouble for love? There are much more important things to be punished for," She says as she puts on her knee boots on once again. "Now I must solve another problem that was brought to my attention, I will see you two later tonight to check up on the transition"

"Okay, I just so you know, you are the best inspector ever" Ginny says, making Burgafawn beam.

"Don't be surprised if I act strict and all in the halls, I must uphold the ministry you know" She says winking at us as she leads us to the door and putting on her cloak once again. "And the Dumbledore's Army is a good idea, perhaps the wrong execution"

She says this just before closing the door, leaving Ginny and I puzzled and confused as to what that meant.

"What did she say to you guys?" Ron says, jumping up from his armchair in the Gryffindor Common room. "We thought you guys were dead for sure!"

How could we possibly explain the situation to Ron without telling him about us? I nervously glance at Ginny and I think she is considering the same exact thing. She nods to me, letting me know that its time. She takes a deep breath and we lock hands together. Ron's face turns from concern and curiosity to confusion and suspicion. Ginny is the one to speak.

"Ron," She begins slowly, "Hermione and I are together." She states bluntly.

"Oh I get it. Ha Ha" He says sarcastically. When he sees no one is laughing, and we have stern, serious faces on, he turns to Harry who is biting his knuckle, nodding to confirm what we had just confessed. "Wait are you serious?"

We remain silent as Ron scoffs and paces the room, looking confused. He then places his hands on his hips and takes deep breaths. "Well how long has this been going on for then?"

"Ever since Christmas break, when Ginny came over to my house" I say, hoping he won't make a big deal out of it. I can see the wheels turning in his head as I say this.

"Well I can definitely say that I didn't think I would ever hear this" He mutters to himself still taking in the breaking news. He then turns to Harry suddenly, "And you knew about it Harry?"

"Well I sort of, found out" he says awkwardly. Ron nods to this. "But don't be mad, they thought telling you at the right time was best"

"I guess now is as good as any I suppose, but why wait?" He asks us. "Did you think I would treat you guys differently?"

"Well to be honest Ron," Ginny says, "Yea, you usually don't like change, and I know seeing your little sister with one of your best friends must be hard"

"I would argue that," Ron says, "But I won't. I love you guys and nothing could change that, it will just take some getting used to that's all"

He took that a lot better than I expected, Ginny is taken aback by his attitude and speaks sincerely, "Thanks Ron that really means a lot to us to hear you say that"

"But that doesn't mean I wanna see you two kissing all the time, I don't like it when anybody does that" He says warning us. I can't help but laugh.

"Besides you and Katie you mean, it seems like you like it just fine" He begins to blush.

"That different!"

"Hey what is Burgafawn want with you two in the first place?" Harry asks us, bringing the conversation back to where it began.

"oh, apparently, they thought it wasn't a good idea having Hermione and I in the same room together when Rachel isn't here, so we are moving to a houseless dorm and they are moving Luna in with us, so we won't be alone" I say in one long breath, explaining the main points of our encounter with the nice and polite Lady.

Harry nods, as it makes sense, but the he realizes I said Luna would be moving in with us and suddenly it didn't make so much sense. "Luna? How come she is moving in with you guys?"

"Well there wasn't any other Gryffindor girls able to move, and we figured Luna would enjoy our company better than those in her own dorm anyway" Ginny explains, "Plus, we could at least cuddle when she is in the room, unlike everyone else"

"I guess that makes sense," Harry says, accepting it. "I didn't even know we had a houseless dorm"

"I knew we always had one, I always assumed it was used for special circumstances, and I guess I was right" I say, recalling a page from Hogwarts: A History.

"Of course you knew," Ron says exasperated. "You know everything!"

"You always say that" I say rolling my eyes. "Anyway, we have to get our things packed and move into the room by tonight. Do you want to help?"

"Sure," Harry says getting up from the couch, "I've got nothing better to do"

"Okay, just stay here for a bit since you can't be up in the girls dormitories," Ginny says, sitting them back down. "We will be down in just a sec"

I never knew how much stuff I actually had until I began packing it all. The number of school uniforms, the amount of muggle clothing, and most of all, my multitude of books. Ginny is in the same boat as I am. But her belongings is dominated by Quidditch gear and other such trinkets instead of books. Even at my fastest I couldn't pack it all under 10 minutes and by the time we made it back down the spiral staircase, Harry and Ron had both already dozed off on the couch. Seeing this, Ginny tosses a small bag on top of Ron's lap, jerking him awake.

"I'm up!" He says springing up and cracking his back. He spots the heaping pile of assorted bags and cases. "How much can you possibly own? I barely have enough to fill 2 bags!"

"How can you complain so much?" Ginny retorts back in sibling banter. She lifts up two suitcases, both weighing in at around 12 kilos. "You gonna let your little sister show you up?"

"Like hell!" He says picking up two large cases and throwing a bag over his shoulder. Then he begins walking off, Harry following closely behind carrying his fair share of bags. Now I feel bad. All they left me with is a satchel of magical trinkets and a medium sized suitcase.

So naturally, I soon make my way to front, as I can walk faster with less luggage, and lead the way to the new dorm. It's not as isolated as I thought. It's the midway point between all four of the houses, and the décor represents it well. It has colors from all of the different houses, but it mostly stays neutral. There aren't many rooms in the dorm, but none of them are occupied. In fact, it seems that none of them had ever been used. All but one of the rooms had their signal lights out, so we unpacked our bags in the one that looked like it was prepared for us.

"Well this looks cozy enough, all we have to do now is wait for Luna to arrive" I say, tucking away the last empty bag underneath the bunk.

"You guys can leave if you like, Madam Burgafawn is going to stop by to check and see if we had settled in" Ginny says to Harry and Ron. "Unless you wanna still be here when she arrives"

"You know, I think Hagrid had something for us," Ron says to Harry hurriedly.

"I think you're right, let's get going" He says, leaving in a hurry. As they are about to leave the room, Lady Burgafawn appears in the doorway, looking down on them with her silent gaze. Flustered they scurry out of the room, addressing her silently as they walk past.

"Lady Burgafawn" They mutter quietly, slipping past her. And with that it is just Me, Ginny, and Madam Burgafawn standing silently in the new dorm. Moments pass without a word as she walks around the room, looking at all belongings.

"It seems everything is in order," She says, keeping her strong, elegant demeanor. Then she smiles "At least you can be yourself here"

Then we grin. "Again, I can't thank you enough for doing this" I say politely to her, she nods her head.

"I just ran into Luna, she should be here any moment now, but in the meantime, I think it would be present to go over the rules of this dorm"

We both nod and she continues. "No loud or otherwise noisy behavior after 10pm or before 8am. Please refrain from having any boys in the dorm without specific permission to do so. And no sexual behavior whatsoever"

That last bit, is the only part that disappoints me, but hey, it is what it is right? Then she remembers one more thing. "Oh, and I am to be your Head of House from now on"

I couldn't be happier.

Authors Note

So I took the liberty of creating my own character, the next chapter will have more of her backstory. I hope you enjoyed this one. Reviews are always appreciated and any criticism is taken seriously. Thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 18

Smoke and Mirrors: Chapter 18

Hermione's POV

"Hello?" A voice says quietly and gently as the door opens. A second later, Luna pops her head in clearly wondering if she has the right place. "Sorry I'm late, someone hidden my bags"

"Oh we just got done ourselves," Ginny responds, helping her with the bags and handing them to me. Luna begins to look around with that wondrous curiosity in her eye. "This place is quite nice, a step up from my dorm at least"

"Yes, but it will get some getting used to" I say, helping her with her part of the room. "Have you talked to Miss Burgafawn?"

"Not yet, not in person at least" She says without looking up from her task. "But she seems very nice, I can't wait to meet her"

Nice? Without speaking to her I thought she was pretty mean. "Really?" Ginny responds confused.

"Yes, Even though she seems mean, I can tell it's all a show" She says nonchalantly.

"You always did have a knack for seeing through peoples facades" Ginny says scoffing and shaking her head.

"So what do you guys normally do when you have free time?" She says, drifting away from the topic. "I usually just read or search the grounds for stories for the Quibbler"

"Well if we don't have class work then we find something to do around the castle, it isn't that hard to do around here" I say, Ginny rolls her eyes when I mention the classwork.

"You are right," She says, hanging up clipping from the Quibbler above her bed. "You can always find something to do inside the castle"

"I heard Hagrid is back!" Ginny says excitedly, the pictures of wild animals must've reminded her. "Do you want to go pay him a visit?"

"Sure! I still don't know what exactly he was doing away from Hogwarts for so long," I ponder.

"I want to go as well," Luna says, looking up finally to take a break from unpacking. "If that's okay with you"

"Of course!" I say inviting her along, "You probably will know about it than us anyway"

As we near Hagrid's Hut, the familiar smell of odd stew grows ever stronger and the light pours from the cozy den onto the darkened ground. I almost forgot how late it is, we should keep this brief. Before knocking on the large door, we hear shuffling around, then a loud thump. Thinking nothing of it, I knock on the wooden door and almost immediately, the door swings open, and we are faced with the hairy, large, kind man. When he sees us, he smiles and starts to hug each of us.

"Hey!" He says, smothering us. "Sorry I was gone for so long, you know Official Hogwarts business and all"

He says this proudly and opens the door all the way to let us in. Accepting the invitation, Ginny walks though and asks, "What were you doing anyway? What took you so long to get back?"

"Well to be honest, it was really all a big mix up, I accidently read the address wrong and I ended up in North Africa when I was supposed to be in North America!" He says with a hearty laugh, and feeding his bird-like pet in the corner of the room. Ginny seems to perk up in sudden interest.

"America?" She says intrigued, "How was it? I heard Magic is totally different over there,"

"Eh not so much, just a wee bit more hush hush that's all," He says, sitting on his ginormous couch. "But I heard Hogwarts is pretty different now too, some Ministry chap coming in here?"

"Oh yea!" I exclaim, forgetting that he hasn't seen Madam Burgafawn yet. "She isn't so bad, really nice in fact, her names Miss Burgafawn"

He spurts his hot beverage all over his lap. "Burgafawn?! Abigayle Burgafawn?"

His reaction nearly scared the daylight out of me. "I don't know her first name, but I think that's who she is. Why?"

"Abby was one of my favorite students! She went here a few years after Harry's Mum and Dad!" He says recollecting memories from long ago. "She got me out of trouble a few time too, being a school prefect and all"

"Really?!" I say with a tone of disbelief I couldn't hold back. "She looks like she is from royalty the way she rode in here"

"Well she ought to be!" He says smiling, "Her family could be compared to the Malfoys, in that they are both rich and in high standin in the Ministry, but that's about it. The Burgafawns have always fought with the Malfoys over controversial matters"

"Really?" Ginny says, confused for some reason, "What did they fight over?"

"You name it, bloodlines, House Elves, distribution of power, and most of all, He Who Must Not Be Named" He says. The last bit was said in a near whisper. "The Burgafawns were who everyone looked up to, that is, until Abby's Mum and Dad died"

"What happened?" I ask him gently, the mood suddenly becomes heavy. Hagrid gets up, and digs through a small chest containing loose papers and small metal objects. He walks back with an old newspaper and sets it on the table in front of us. I tilt my head so I can read the faded letters.

" _Burgafawns dead! Death Eaters fatal attack claims 3"_

"How did she survive?" Ginny asks in a silent whisper, almost talking to herself. Hagrid wipes a small tear from the corner of his eye.

"She wasn't with them," He begins, "She was supposed to be with them, but she had to stay at Hogwarts for something, I forget what, but I'm glad she did"

"Who was the third?" Luna says, speaking for the first time since we got here. Hagrid then pulls a small photo from behind the newspaper, two figures were standing, wearing their Hogwarts robes proudly. The (Presumed) elder was a tall dark haired girl, sporting the Slytherin crest, and holding her wand in one hand and wrapping her other around her brother. The younger is a boy, similar features but his hair had a lighter color to it. His robes bore the Hufflepuff crest, and was pushing his older sister away from him but to no avail. Realizing what I am looking at, I see Luna cover her mouth as she knows it too. When I look up to Hagrid, he is his face buried in this hands, silently weeping. Through the sobs, he manages to speak.

"He was so young, so lively, so innocent" I move over to him, and hug him. As I do, I look back at the photo, back to the young boy who had died too soon and I feel overwhelming grief. Collecting himself, he picks up the article and the photo and put them back into the chest, and says, "Some say Malfoy himself did the deed, that his hate for her family drove him to do it, but they could never prove it"

"I never would've guessed that she was a Slytherin…" I find myself saying. So far, the Slytherins I know aren't as friendly and kind as Miss Burgafawn.

"Not every Slytherin is like Malfoy," Hagrid says thoughtfully, then he looks at his own makeshift clock and seeing how late it was he claps his hands and stands up. "Well that's enough sadness for one night, now go on, I don't want to get you guys in trouble"

We all nod and give him one last hug before we say our goodbyes. As we leave the hut, we wave back to the large black silhouette in the open doorway before the door closes.

The way back to the castle was quiet, and sad. All of us were thinking of what we had just learned about the kind and lovely Head of House. Instinctively, I head to the Gryffindor Common Room, but as soon as Luna questions where we are going, I remember the new dorm. There aren't any passwords to the dorm, just a lock and a key, which we were all given. We open the door and see the fireplace is lit, and Madam Burgafawn is sitting in one of the armchairs reading a thick book. She looks up and raises an eyebrow before speaking.

"Don't you guys think its past curfew?" She says, closing her book and getting up from the chair. "What were you guys doing anyway?"

"Well, Hagrid just got back, and we just wante to pay him a visit," Ginny says, plainly, trying not to reveal what we had learned. Her face lights up at the sound of Hagrid's name.

"Hagrids back?" She asks excitedly. Then as she notices our deadpan expression, she tilts her head. "Is something wrong?"

"No!" I respond quickly, I then begin to stammer. "I think we are just tired, that's all. We didn't realize how late it actually is"

She nods and begins to head off to her quarters. "Well, I bid you a good night, I hope your first night in the new place won't disturb you"

And with that, she disappears into her room, and we do as well. As soon as we enter the room, Ginny collapses onto the bed and Luna feeds her pygmy puff. Moments later I find myself laying on top of Ginny, holding her tight and fiddling with my necklace. We stay there for a while, not saying a word, just resting our foreheads against each other, feeling the safety of each other. As Luna finishes feeding her pygmy puff, she begins to strip down, to nothing at all. Ginny and I look at each other, wondering what the heck is going on. Luna catches us staring and looks perplexed, "If me naked makes you uncomfortable, I could get changed in the bathroom" She offers gently.

"Oh we were just a little startled at first," Ginny says, "As long as you are okay with it, so are we"

"Oh I get it, you think I would be awkward undressing because you like girls?" She says perceptively. We kinda shrug. "Well you two are two of my best friends so why should it be awkward?"

"Well to be honest" I begin carefully, "We were wondering how comfortable you were with us together"

"Oh extremely" She says as she pulls a long sleeve shirt over her head. "You guys can do whatever you want when I'm here"

"Like cuddle and stuff?" Ginny asks.

"Sure" she replies simply. Taking this as a green light, I kiss Ginny lightly on the nose. "Are we going to bring up what Hagrid told us about Madam Burgafawn?"

"I think she will tell us herself when she is ready," I respond, trying hard not to think about the family's terrible fate. "But if she asks, I won't lie about it"

"But you kinda already did" Ginny points out to me. "Remember? Out in the Common room?"

"Oh shut up, I really am tired" I respond rolling my eyes. "Plus, I had to think on my feet"

"Yea okay, whatever" Ginny says laughing a bit. "How long do ya think Burgafawn is going to be staying here?"

"Probably until Rachel is back," I say. I was wondering that as well, I really don't want her to leave. "Or something else can be arranged"

"Well I for one like the arrangement" Luna pipes up from her bed, "You two are much more pleasant than my old dorm mates"

"Don't get me wrong, I love this agreement" I say, trying not to sound like Luna is a burden because she isn't. "But it just feels weird not being in Gryffindor dorms anymore"

"But you still are Gryffindor though," Luna responds. "You just sleep in another part of the castle is all, just like I am still a Ravenclaw"

"Yea its nothing time won't fix," Ginny says comfortingly, "and you won't have to go through it alone"

As she says this, she holds my hand and looks to Luna who is giving a comforting look. Then suddenly, we hear a gentle, but firm knock on the door. There could only be one possibility of who it could be. Ginny gets up and cracks the door,

"Oh hi!" She says, opening the door fully. "What can we do for you?"

Madam Burgafawn walks through the door, looking thoughtful. "Well I just spoke to Hagrid, and it seems that my past is now in the present"

We begin to all speak at once, making up excuses and trying to redirect the conversation. She holds her hand up and we immediately silence ourselves. "I have no problem with it, but I thought if you are going to know, you had better know the whole of it"

We silently nod and she sits on the unoccupied bed, and the rest of us lean in, not wanting to miss a word. She takes a deep breath in and begins.

"As Hagrid said, I came from a wealthy family, and much of my behavior comes from my childhood. Such as my chariot, my robes and my belongings. When I came to Hogwarts, I was sorted into Slytherin house, like my father when he had attended the school. I was popular, mostly because of my family's status but I had no real friends, just followers after fame. Hagrid was the first person I considered to be a true and real friend, so naturally I would help him out if he got into trouble and he would help me when I did"

She takes few moments before beginning again. "Two years later, my younger brother came to Hogwarts and was sorted into Hufflepuff, like my mother. He on the other hand, had lots of friends, real and true friends. I have no doubt that he would have become Head Boy, keeping up our family's reputation. But in my sixth year, I was a prefect and had to stay behind at Hogwarts during Christmas to help fortify the defenses because the Dark Lord was at his most powerful. My brother went on to spend Christmas with our parents, and with that, he was to be tied to their fate as well"

She becomes noticeably choked up, and I can tell she is holding back tears. Despite this, she decides to continue with her narrative. "It was on Christmas Eve, and I was just sitting in the Slytherin Common Room, going over the Castles blueprints again, making sure that there wasn't a single weakness in it when I got the news. Professor Dumbledore came to me and I immediately knew something was wrong. That glimmer in his eye was gone, and was replaced with sorrow. As he spoke I kept thinking that it wasn't them, it couldn't have been them. But in the end I knew I was all alone"

"But you had Hagrid didn't you? And I am sure you had loads of friends too" Ginny says a little bit confused. Burgafawn looked up with a regretful look in her eye.

"That is true, I did have people there for me but I couldn't see that. All I saw was that my family was gone and I didn't see that I had my Hogwarts family alongside me still" She says with a certain sadness. "It wasn't until my seventh year, the year the Dark Lord disappeared, that I let people back into my life. With some influence from the Headmaster and other Professors, I was able to work in the Ministry as a liaison for Hogwarts and that was a couple years ago"

"Why did you go into the Ministry? I imagine with your Families wealth you wouldn't need to work ever" I ask. She smiles and nods.

"Yea, I could be sitting back in the Mansion not having to worry about anything, but if I didn't want my family to die in vain, then I would continue that of which they stood for" She says. "I like to think I am honoring my family's legacy"

"And you are" Luna says, intrigued in the tale she told, "I can't imagine many people going through what you did, much less go the distance for your family"

"Thanks" She says gratefully. She then claps her hands and shakes her head. "So that's all about me, you now know it all, so feel free to ask any questions"

"I have one" I ask her, she gestures for me to continue. "You said you were in Slytherin right? Have you noticed a change at all in the house since you have been here?"

"Actually yes," She says, thinking on the question for a bit, "The students seem to be less achievement oriented, and more intolerable of differences. Why do you ask?"

"Well most of the Slytherins here aren't so nice" I say, awkwardly fiddling with a stray tassel on the sheet. "I just can't see you in that house at all"

"Well we have to remember that Houses stand for a lot of things, and not everyone in the house represents all of it" She says in an understanding tone. "I think in my case, I was placed into it because of my ambition to achieve the best, but I loath the notion of discrimination against half-bloods or muggleborns"

I feel loads better and can't help but smile when she answers the question. "That makes sense, I just have had some difficulty with a certain group of them"

"I bet I know who you are speaking of, Malfoy right?" She says, I nod my head silently. She sighs. "I was hoping that he wouldn't follow the footsteps of his family, but I guess the influence was too much"

"His father really didn't give him a choice," Luna says again. "HE probably felt he had no other choice but to follow his father's example"

No one responds to the comment, no matter how correct it is. Looking around the room the only expressions I see is sadness, sorrow, and regret. No one tries to lighten the mood, because it just doesn't feel right. Slowly, Miss Burgafawn gets up and stretches a bit.

"I'm sorry that I brought down the mood," She says apologetically, "I hope it doesn't dampen your spirits, remember it's never a bad thing to lean on others, and let them lean on you too"

"Good night Madam Burgafawn" We all say in unison, for such a nice and kind woman, the title makes her feel really old. She chuckles a bit at the formality.

"Please call me Miss Abby, Hagrid always does" She says closing the door behind her.

The mood doesn't change. For the next fifteen minutes the room remained as silent as the restricted section of the library. The only noise that was made was Luna's soft snoring in her bed, she fell asleep very quickly. I'm sure tomorrow she will be as lively as normal, unaffected by the evil in the world. Ginny and I on the other hand do not fall asleep so easily. Almost an hour passes by before I begin to feel drowsy, but I am soon called back awake by Ginny's soft voice.

"Hermione?" I nod, letting her know I am awake. "Are you alright?"

"Yea…" I reply. Honestly I'm fine, just sad really. I mean it's not like I could do anything about it now anyway. All this happened so long ago. "Just a lot to take in you know?"

"I hear you," She says back playing with the waves of my hair. "Though I don't know what I would do if that happened to me"

"I know what would happen" I say confidently, "I would be right there at your side, all the way"

Hearing this, she pulls me lose to her so I am within centimeters of her. I can feel her breath, and smell the minty scent as well. "I love you Hermione, never forget it"

"I won't," I respond, staring into her eyes, my vision illuminated only by the crystal heart between us. "Trust me"

Before we connect our lips, I hear her whisper the words, "I do"

Authors Note: So now there is a background for Miss Abigayle Burgafawn. I am wondering if I should include her as a main character in the story now, so let me know what y'all want. Please write reviews, all feedback is welcome and I don't want to take the story in the wrong direction. Thank you for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

Smoke and Mirrors: Chapter 19

Authors Note: I know I haven't posted in forever and I am sorry that I can't be a reliable content creator for you guys. I hope you guys are still interested.

~Ginny POV~

It's amazing what effects the presence of one person can have. Ever since it became apparent that Madam Burgafawn, or Miss Abby as she likes to be called, was in support of Hermione and I, we have had little to no harassment about living in a houseless dorm. Even with the knowledge of our relationship had gotten out but it's almost as if it never did. No one makes any comments, just the occasional looks from those who have more… traditional views. Well that is until today, when Malfoy decided that it was time to remind us who is the reigning Hogwarts bully. At the beginning of breakfast, it started with him remarking loudly about how it's not possible to have pigs in a blanket without the sausage. An obvious metaphor that any older year would catch onto. Naturally I wanted to start something, and for the record Ron was right along there with me, but Hermione (always the guiding angel on my shoulder) convinced me otherwise. Once he ran out of mean remarks to make from across the hall paired with the fact that not a lot of people were taking much interest, he pretended to waltz over to the fireplace, making sure to walk past us on his way. As soon as he walked by, he "tripped" and spilled his plate full of the messiest foods around. Oatmeal, hash, and syrup became the new uniform attire adopted by Hermione and I. Heads turned to see what all the clatter was about only to see Hermione's shocked face and mine, turning redder and hotter with every passing millisecond. When he gets up and looks back to see the product of his HILARIOUS prank, he has the nerve to open his mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry," He says, his mouth curling into a smile. "I must've not looked where I was going"

"Come on Malfoy!" A second year Hufflepuff exclaims from behind. "What did they do to you?"

"Oh, it's not that bad" Malfoy says dismissing the notion that anyone could've take that seriously. "Besides, all they have to do is take their tongue bath a little earlier that's all"

Before I could get up and punch the crap out of him, Miss Abby appears motioning for me to stay down, but keeping her eyes locked onto Malfoy. The whole Hall is silent, and I can tell that Miss Abby is ready to blow.

"You better be ashamed of yourself" She says simply, staring him down as he struggles to meet her gaze. "You not only disrespect yourself, but your House and Hogwarts. And you're lucky that we're in the castle right now. You will be receiving your punishment in due time but don't even think about apologizing because I think you have insulted them enough"

As she finishes, she looks down at us to make sure we are all okay, then she makes eye contact with me, motioning toward Malfoy. I don't care what she meant but a second later I was on my feet and Malfoy was on the floor, with the start of a bloody nose. He looks up incredulously at me, then at Miss Abby. His lackeys help him up as he sputters.

"Did you not see that?!" He yells angrily.

She raises an eye brow and acting confused she simply says, "Did I see what?"

Contrary to what he thought, we took actual showers, and no we did not make out the whole time… Only part of the time. Anyway, since I am utterly and completely irresponsible, the uniform that Malfoy trashed, along with a perfectly good breakfast, was my only clean one. So, either I show up to class in regular clothes and get disciplined or I borrow a pair of Hermione's. Even if we are basically the same height, the clothes still felt pretty weird. Maybe she has them enchanted or something. More likely it has something to do with our general physique. When Luna walked in and found the pile of clothes/breakfast she looked confused then made a look as if it were a regular occurrence(which it isn't). Throughout the day when I passed by Malfoy all he did was glare and all I could do in return was smirk at the bandage over his bruised nose. All in all, I think I liked the trade. I got to punch Malfoy while he got to ruin clothes. At least tomorrow is the beginning of break, which means that I get to go home, I invited Hermione as well but she said that she has some family stuff to deal with. I hope it's nothing serious.

"You miss staying in the Gryffindor dorm?" A Ravenclaw asks, being curious as always.

"Well it's not like I am banned from the dorm, I just sleep somewhere else that's all" I reply, not really giving it much thought. What's the big deal anyway?

"Quiet you two" Snape says harshly in our general direction. Sometimes I wonder why Dumbledore is insistent on having him stay, I'm sure us students would appreciate it. After a little while the curious Ravenclaw decides to ask one more question.

"So how different is it from being with…" She hesitates. "You know, a guy?"

"Honestly, I don't know how to describe it" I say, feeling a little uncomfortable and trying to end the conversation. "But I can definitely say that I am much happier"

Seemly satisfied with the answer I gave, she turns back to her parchment. I guess that's the one thing I can't stand really. People asking their questions. It's not so much that it makes stuff awkward, but even if you answer honestly, chances are they aren't going to understand. As soon as I finish my work I walk it over to Snape. As I turn it in he glances at the time and raises an eyebrow.

"Finishing early for once?" He says suspiciously. I shrug,

"Hermione has been helping me out," I say back nonchalantly. "Since I finished early, may I go leave to go to the library?"

"May I ask why" Snape says, not looking up from the other pieces of parchment on his desk.

"Well you said that we needed to have that report by the end of break and I still have some research to do" I say tired of all the questions.

"Fine"

"Ginny?" A voice calls out from behind. I turn to see Miss Abby walking out of the restricted section with a ledger in hand. "Don't you have class?"

"Well I got done early and Snape let me come here to study" I say noting where I am at on the page then looking up to acknowledge her. My attention is then drawn to the thick looking book she has in her hand. "What are you doing in the restricted section?"

"Oh, it's nothing" She says sending it floating away. "One of my duties while I am here is to make sure no restricted books have gone missing"

"Well if you notice any, number one suspect would be Hermione" I say instinctively. She raises an eyebrow. "I mean she is the only person I know who would want to read them since she has read every other book in this place"

"Ah I see" She says, laughing lightly. "Speaking of, I haven't seen her in a while, is everything okay?"

"Oh yea, she just had to go home early for family business" She nods, and makes a few more marks on her sheet. "Do you have anything planned for the break?"

"Well I don't know if you know this, but most staff don't really get breaks" I now understand why Snape is in such a bad mood all the time.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that" I say sympathetically. As much as I love Hogwarts, it's good to get away once in a while.

"I mean what else would I be doing? The Mansion is empty most of the time and I really don't mind my work"

"Well, would you want to come over to my house?" If I'm honest, I really don't know why I offered. Maybe it's because she has been such a huge help to Hermione and I over the weeks.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of intruding" She says, smiling. "Plus, I can be such a slob sometimes"

"Really?" I ask, really surprised. "You always seem so elegant"

"Yea well, there's a reason why I have a maid. If I'm left unchecked, my living quarters can turn into a troll's dungeon" She says, sitting down.

"Well _if_ you were to stay over, my brothers are way worse, I believe that the Weasley boys are famous for it actually" I say trying to convince her. She smiles.

"Yes, I believe that I have heard that" After she thinks about the idea for a couple more minutes, she finally speaks. "Okay, tell you what, give me till the end of the day, I will give you my decision. Thanks again Ginny"

"Honestly, it's my pleasure. My parents are dying to meet you, they are so grateful for all you have done for us" She dismisses it by waving her hand.

"Please, it's up to all of us fight against ignorance, I'm just glad that you two are so courageous" I blush at the compliment. "Plus, it's good to be back at Hogwarts"

"Hey Luna, done packing already?" I ask as I notice the mountain of bags marked with strange stickers of (Imaginary) creatures.

"Oh yes," She says softly, as she lays on her stomach reading the Quibbler. "Haven't you heard? They moved the train time. It leaves in 45 minutes"

I immediately drop my books. "You're kidding, right? Since when?"

"Oh, I'm not sure when everyone else found out, apparently, someone forgot to address our dorm, probably because they forgot" She says calmly. Oh crap. Of course.

"Hey, do you think you could help me out? I would really appreciate it" Almost immediately she hops off the bed and straightens out her untucked shirt.

"Okay, what do you need?" Luna is awesome.

"Okay, I need all the clothes in the top two drawers, I will take care of the rest" She nods and begins humming an odd, quirky tune as she throws my cloths into the nearest bag.

"What are you planning on doing over break?" Luna asks, as she continues loading the clothes into the case.

"Oh, you know, family stuff and all. I invited Miss Abby to come over since she doesn't have anyone else to go home to but she hasn't given me a definite answer yet. What about you?" She stops humming and thinks for a little bit, almost as if she forgot.

"My father is taking me with him to the Americas for a special expedition" She says cheerfully. "We are going to be meeting up with a couple American Wizards over there to help catalog all the creatures"

"Wow, an expedition?" I say with a certain level of curiosity and confusion. "That sounds like it could take a lot longer than just a week. Are you sure you will be able to make it back in time for classes?"

"Oh, my father took care of all that, I will be coming back a little later, but it shouldn't be so bad" She says, dismissing the notion of any real consequence.

"What about Harry?" I say lightly. "Are you sure he will be alright with you gone for so long? You know how concerned he can get, especially since you will be all the way across the world"

"Oh, nothing is really far away in the Wizarding World" Luna says smiling. Unlike Hermione, Luna has fully embraced the world she lives in, she doesn't question it, she just rolls with it. "Plus, I have you, Ron, and Katie looking out for him"

"Oh yea, I almost forgot she's coming as well" I say in almost a whisper to myself. Against my expectations, Ron and Katie have been going smoothly, I had assumed that Ron would do something stupid and derail the whole train. I guess Ron really wants this, and, why shouldn't he? He can't be the odd one out all the time.

"Okay, I'm done" She says, sealing the bag. "You need any more help?"

"No, I only have a couple things left, save me a seat on the train will ya?" I reply without looking up.

"Okay, see you soon" The door closes, then immediately opens once again.

"Did you forget something?" I ask as I zip up two bags simultaneously.

The entering figure laughs a little. "Sorry I'm not Ms. Lovegood"

"Oh, Miss Abby!" I say a little embarrassed, as I turn to face her. "I didn't know that the train departure time was changed"

"Oh, they changed them?" She says, a little surprised herself. "I wasn't notified either"

"So, what do you need?" I ask, stacking all my bags by the door.

"Well I just wanted to drop by and say that I would love to spend spring break with you and all the Weasleys," She says smiling, making me grin myself. "But I can't come right away, I have a couple things left to do"

"Okay, when do you think you can come and make it?" I ask, taking off my outer robe and replacing it with a deep maroon sweater.

"Probably tomorrow night at the latest, my tasks shouldn't take long" She says, walking toward the door.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you then!"

"Blimey Ginny, where have you been?" Ron asks as I enter the train booth. As soon as everyone else sees me they begin asking too.

"I thought Luna filled you all in?" I say, putting a bag in the overhead compartment. My attention turned to Luna, who is totally enveloped in an old, worn notebook. After an awkward moment of silence, she looks up to see all of us staring at her.

"Oh, I must've forgot," She says simply. Then she delves back into the journal. Attention turns back to me.

"Anyway, I didn't find out that the train schedule changed. No need to make a big deal about it" I say, sitting down beside Harry and across from Ron and Katie.

"Well the trains only been delayed for a half hour!" Ron practically yells. I stick my tongue out at him.

"Come on Ron, you know how much stuff us girls have to pack up" Katie says slapping him on the shoulder. "I know I wouldn't have been able to get all my stuff together that fast"

"Thanks" I say smiling, appreciative of her kindness. "So, Katie, what do you and Ron have planned?"

"Well we haven't really thought it out, Ron just wanted to show me around the Burrow. I've heard it's awesome" She says, interlacing her hands with his. It's weird to see another girl with Ron. He is, after all, my awkward, stupid, dumb, big brother.

"Well just so you all know, Miss Abby is going to be staying over as well," All the conversations stop and once more, the attention is on me. "She's going to be coming over tomorrow night"

After a moment of silence and a few stunned faces, Harry scratches his head and asks, "So is she coming over to discuss something with your Mum and Dad?"

"No! She's just coming over for break" I say, exasperated. "What's so wrong with that?"

"Well I mean she's from the Ministry and all…" Harry continues. I throw my hands up.

"So, what? My dads from the ministry as well!" I turn to Ron and make eye contact. He just shrugs.

"I just mean it's going to be kind of weird because she's an… Authoritative figure" Harry finally says, defeated.

"Oh please, she's not too much older than us, and she's really nice. You guys would do well to get to know her" I say, crossing my arms. Katie speaks up.

"Well I don't know her really well, but I would definitely want to get to know her better. It's never a bad thing to have someone in the Ministry on your side" She says. She's a smart girl. Smarter than Ron at least.

"What is she gonna do? I mean I don't imagine there is much to do" Ron asks, I know he's just racking his brain for ideas.

"Well that's what we should be doing right now huh? I mean nothing else to do while we wait" More silence follows as we all try to think.

"Are there any local attractions that might be cool to do as a group?" Katie suggests, I don't blame her, she barely knows the area.

"Well what about that Carnival?" Harry says suddenly. "Last year during break we went to a Carnival not too far away from the Burrow"

"It might be there," Ron says scratching his chin. "Though do you think she will like that? It's not really for adults"

"You do realize that there is a whole section of it that is for adults, only right?" I say, getting annoyed.

"Yea well, that means that we won't be let in, so either she hangs with us in the 'kiddy' section or she is by herself in the adult area" He does have a point. Still annoys the hell out of me.

"Fine, we'll just ask her when she gets here" I say, trying to change the subject. "Any other ideas?"

"There's a couple places that I like to hike to," Luna says, finally putting down the journal. "My house isn't too far away, it's only a shame that I won't be able to join you to point out all the creatures"

"That's a great idea!" I say, I am a big fan of the wilderness. As long as I know that home isn't too far away. "Anyone else think it's a good idea?"

"I'm all for it" Harry says, nodding. "Just not a lot of up and downhill climbs. I can't stand inclines"

"Me too. I love nature, all the animals. Especially the furry ones" Katie says giddily. Her expression turns to sour. "But not snakes, I don't know what it is, they just creep me out"

"Probably because Malfoy and Slytherin are permanently tied to them" Ron says, wrapping his arm around her. "And if she's in I'm in"

"Hey, you know Miss Abby was a Slytherin right?" I say defensively. Ron just waves his hand.

"Different generation, different people. She doesn't count" I just roll my eyes.

"Hello dears!" Mum exclaims as she opens the door to my home. I know it sounds cliché, but I don't care what people think. It's my home and I love it just the way it is. I also love it because in case of an emergency, since I'm on the first floor, I will be out of the place the fastest. "How was the trip? You must be famished!"

"Don't have to ask me Mum!" Ron exclaims as he practically shoves his way past everyone into the kitchen. She just ignores him and focuses her attention to Katie, who is laughing at Ron's actions.

"And you must be Katelyn!" Before poor Katie can respond, she is smothered in a python grip hug. Finally letting go, she's allowed to respond.

"It's so good to meet you!" Katie says, still trying to regain her breath. "You can call me Katie if you like"

"Katie, it is" Mum says, smiling. "Now Ginny, you've received a letter from Hermione. Arrived a little before you did"

I don't even wait to hear anything else. I immediately run over to the counter and pick up the letter written in beautiful handwriting. I rip the wax seal off and carefully extract the parchment.

 _Dear Ginny,_

 _Sorry again for having to rush out without proper explanation, I knew you would understand. Long story short, my father had some complications in his recovery from the accident during Christmas vacation. Not to worry though, all is well. The doctor told us that it wasn't out of the ordinary, and isn't serious. My mum told me that it's okay for me to meet you at the Burrow (I assume that's okay with you), by the time you receive the letter I should be halfway there. It's gonna be pretty late, but I think you all will be awake anyway. It should be fun getting Katie familiarized with the group. Anyway, I have more to discuss but I can wait. Until I get there, give everyone my love._

 _-Love, Hermione_

Short and simple. Very efficient. If I were the one writing, I probably would've rambled on for far too long. Also, Hermione's coming! I know what you're thinking, how clingy are these two? Shut up, its mutual and we don't care.

"What did she say?" Mum asks as she comes over.

"She's on her way over here right now!" I sound like a little kid waiting for Santa or something.

"Really?! That's wonderful!" I totally forgot that I haven't told her that Miss Abby is coming over either.

"Oh and Ms. Burgafawn is coming over for break as well" The expression of glee on my Mums face changes to confusion.

"Really? How come? Did you do something wrong?" Her voice now is changing to the one that my brothers and I dread.

"No nothing like that" I say, putting my hands up for protection. "I invited her over because she doesn't have anyone else to visit for the break. I thought it would be a nice gesture since she has been a huge help to Hermione and I"

"In that case, I can't wait! Your dad and I have been waiting for forever to meet her" She smiles once more. "When is she arriving?"

"Tomorrow night, she had some work to finish up on"

"Alright, it's gonna be a full house!" Mum says happily.

"We were all thinking of camping outside tonight, its uncharacteristically warm outside" I say, picking up an apple from the basket of fruit lying on the counter.

"Well you know where all the tents are, just make sure not to make a total mess of things" Mum says, as she makes her way over to the staircase.

"Where's Dad?" I ask right before she disappears up the stairs.

"Oh, he's asleep. Busy day at the Ministry" She calls down.

I make my way over to the rest of the group who's waiting in the living room. Katie is looking at all the family photos hanging around the room, much to Ron's dismay. I mean, some are really embarrassing. Especially the ones from when we were kids. Harry is sitting on the couch eating the puffed pastries that Mum made. "Hey Ron? Do you want to help me out with the tent?"

"Yea sure," He says, trying to get Katie away from the photos. "We might need some more help though. Harry and Katie? Help us out?"

"Sure!" Katie says enthusiastically. "But just so you know, I will be taking a look at the rest of these later"

"Well we don't have to do that..." Ron says pulling her away. "Oh, and it turns out the Carnival is in town"

"Awesome" Harry says, getting up. "I love that place"

The Weasley garage is probably the messiest place in the world. Dad's muggle artifacts clutter the tables and all the shelves. The stuff isn't even that rare! Harry says its stuff you can find in any corner shop in London. Endlessly we search for the tent. I mean, sure it's a small tent but it can't be that hard to find, right? As we sift through the shelves and boxes, the tent still evades us. Harry had a good laugh when he found out that the Ministry is spending a lot of man-hours trying to investigate the theory that petrol is being used for an upcoming Muggle revolt. I guess it does sound absurd. Katie soon becomes totally enveloped in a box that has Ron and I's old Quidditch equipment. Which leaves only Ron and I to look for the tent.

"Hey, is this it Ginny?" Ron says, as I turn around I see him holding up a large piece of canvas. The more I look at it, the more holes and the more tears I see.

"Are you kidding me?" I walk over and examine it closer. There's no way that we can use this. It looks like multiple types of animals and insects had gotten to it. I finally just put the tent, or whatever it is now, back in its box. "Well, I guess we're all sleeping in the house then"

"Well come on now, it's not like it's going to rain. We can still sleep outside and watch the stars" Ron says, holding up the perfectly functional sleeping bags. "We can just ask Mum or Dad to put up an enchantment to block all the bugs"

"I absolutely _love_ watching the stars!" Katie says excitedly. "Kinda makes me think existentially"

"I don't know if that's such a good thing for me…" Harry says awkwardly. I just put my hand on his shoulder.

"Come on! We're all her together, just live in the moment" I say, sounding upbeat(hopefully).

"Blimey Harry, why'd you have to down the mood" Ron says, stuffing all the sleeping bags into a box and carrying toward the door.

"Shut up" Harry says, shoving Ron through the doorway.

As we arrange the sleeping bags in a circle, Mum creates a barrier to protects us from all the pests. All the insectoid ones at least. Obviously, Ron and Katie are sleeping next to each other. Next to Ron, Harry sets up his bag, and mine next to his. Since Hermione said she will be coming in tonight, I set up a bag next to me for her. In case she goes to the house first I wrote a note on the door telling her where we are. Better be safe than sorry. I guess being with Hermione has changed me a bit.

"Hey Ron?" Katie asks, staring up at the night sky. He makes a noise. "Which is your favorite star?"

"You know I never really thought about it" He says quietly.

"Well that's okay" She says, dismissing his indifference. Awkward silence. Katie is a really sweet girl, but in some ways, I just think that she's too… energetic for him. I mean he could definitely benefit from more energy, but until he wants it, I'm not sure that its gonna work out.

"Well I always liked Vega" I say, trying to renew the conversation.

"Really?" Katie says, sounding interested. "How come?"

"I don't know, it's a really cool name and it's also really bright" I'm not joking either. Luna likes stars too (not nearly as much as the magical creatures) and I've learned a lot since she moved in.

"Vega huh?" Katie contemplates to herself. "I respect that. My personal favorite is Polaris. Because it's the North Star and all"

"What about that one? It looks kind of cool" Ron points up. I really can't tell where he's pointing, but apparently Katie can because she starts humming in her thought.

"I think that's Arcturus" Color me impressed.

"Arcturus? That sounds a little cold?" Katie laughs a little.

"Cold? It's probably the hottest thing you can think of" She said still laughing.

"Well, not the hottest thing" Ron says thoughtfully.

"Oh yea? What else is there?" Oh, I can see where this is going.

"Well I think you're pretty hot" IT'S SO CHEESY. God, I hope Hermione and I don't say stuff like that with other people around. Now that I think about it…

Author's Note: I know it's been forever, but sometimes I feel like updating and sometimes I don't. Again, I'm really sorry that I can't be more consistent.


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